UtftARY 

OMomte 

IRVINE 


(o 


REMINISCENCES 


OF     THE 


Spanish- American  War 

In   Cuba 
and  the    Philippines^ 

BY 

CHARLES  F.   GAUVRE4JJ 

Ex-private,   Co.  G,  21st  Inft. 


THE  AUTHORS   PUBLISHING   CO., 

ROUSES  POINT,  N.  Y- 

1915 


Copyright,  1915 
All  Rights   Reserved 


PREFACE. 

NEARLY  a  score  of  years  has  passed  since 
the  Spanish- American  War  in  Cuba  and  the 
Philippine  insurrection.  Many  books  have 
been  written  of  the  war  and  its  causes,  but  it 
has  never  come  to  my  attention  that  any  author 
has  written  reminiscences  of  actual  service  at 
the  front.  It  has  not  been  and  will  not  be  my 
purpose  to  give  you  a  complete  history  of  the 
war  with  Spain,  but  sincerely  believing  that  it 
might  be  of  special  interest  to  my  friends  and 
acquaintances,  I  have  concluded  to  narrate  my 
personal  experiences  while  in  the  service  with 
the  21st  United  States  Infantry,  oftentimes 
called  "  The  President's  Own."  The  21st  In- 
fantry was  considered  one  of  the  best  drilled 
regiments  in  the  army  at  the  time  of  the  war, 
and  had  earned  the  marked  respect  of  all  the 
citizens  of  the  city  of  Plattsburgh,  New  York, 

5 


6  PREFACE. 

at  which  place  the  regiment  was  stationed  when 
war  was  declared.  In  the  summer  of  1897 
President  and  Mrs.  McKinley  were  stopping 
at  Hotel  Champlain,  Bluff  Point,  Xew  York. 
On  this  occasion  the  President  reviewed  the 
regiment,  and  Mrs.  McKinley  presented  to  it 
a  beautiful  silk  flag.  There  will  be  found 
several  pictures  in  this  book.  Undoubtedly  the 
reader  will  recognize  many  of  them. 

CHARLES  F.  GAUVREAU. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  Author Frontispiece. 

Opposite  Page. 
Secretary  of  War,  Alger,  Presenting  the  Colors  to  the  21st 

Infantry,  August  IS,  1897 6 

21st  Infantry  Leaxing  Plattsburg  for  Cuba,  1898  ...  16 

Group  of  G.  Company  taken  in  camp  at  Tampa,  Fla.  .  .  20 

Commissioned  Officers  of  the  21st  Infantry 24 

Fording  the  San  Juan  River,  Cuba,  July  1st,  1898  ...  3.3 

Digging  Trenches  on  San  Juan  Hill,  Cuba,  1898  ...  35 

On  the  Look  Out  in  the  Trenches 38 

Taken  While  in  Action,  1X9S 42 

Firing  a  Salute  at  the  Burial  of  a  Dead  Comrade  ...  45 

Cooking  in  the  Field 46 

Santiago  Harbor  Looking  Out  to  Sea 50 

G-Company  of  the  21st  Taken  Before  the  War  ....  52 

Fort  Montgomery.  Rouses  Point,  N.  Y 54 

Arrival  of  the  21st  Infantry  from  Cuba  at  Plattsburg, 

Sept.  16,  1898 56 

Guard  House  and  quarters  at  Plattsburg  Barracks  .  .  5S 

Parade  Grounds  at  Plattsburg  Barracks 62 

Main  Street,  Rouses  Point,  N.  Y 64 

Unveiling  of  the  Soldiers  Memorial  at  the  Administration 

Building,  Plattsburg,  N.  Y 66 

General  Roll  Call  of  the  21st  Infantry  Before  Boarding 

The  Train  for  the  Philippines,  April  10,  1899  ...  69 
21st  Infantry  Boarding  the  Train  for  the  Philippines, 

April  10,  1899 71 

The  Transport  Hancock  on  Which  the  21st  Infantry  Sailed 

to  the  Philippines 78 

Battery  on  Corregidor  Island  that  Dewey  Silenced  May  1, 

1898 84 

7 


8  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Opposite  Page. 

Disembarking  of  Troops  on  the  Bay,  Manila,  P.  I.  .  .  80 

Entrance  of  the  Pasig  River,  P.  1 88 

The  El  Deposoto,  P.  1 90 

San  Juan  Bridge  Upon  Which  the  First  Shot  was  Fired, 

Feb.  4,  1899 93 

Admiral  Dewey  Taken  at  Manila,  P.  1 94 

Cultivating  Rice  in  the  Philippines 97 

A  Cannon  Made  of  Bamboo  by  the  Filipinos 98 

Burial  of  a  Filipino 100 

General  Otis  and  Staff  in  Manila,  P.  1 102 

Bang-Bang  Bridge  Destroyed  by  the  Filipinos,  P.  I.  .  .  104 

Calamba  River  at  Calamba 106 

A-Company  of  the  21st  Infantry  at  Los  Banos.  P.  I  .  .  108 

Self  proclaimed  Dictator  Emilo  Aguinaldo 110 

The  Gun  Boat  Laguna  de  Bay 112 

Native  Houses  at  Calamba 115 

Gattling  and  Hotchkiss  Guns 110 

Filipinos  Dead  in  the  Trenches 118 

After  the  Battle  of  Santa  Anna,  P.  1 120 

Battle  Field  at  Calamba.  P.  1 122 

First  Reserve  Hospital  at  Manila.  P.  1 124 

General  Lawton's  Funeral  at  Manila,  P.  1 120 

Group  of  G.  Company  Taken  at  Calamba,  P.  1 128 

The  Lunata  or  Park  in  Manila.  P.  1 131 

The  Bridge  of  Spain  over  the  Pasig  River.  Manila,  P.  I.  .  132 

Soldier  Taking  a  Ride  in  a  Jinrikisha 137 

Discharged  Soldiers  and  Japanese  Women  Taken  at 

Nagasaki.  Japan  138 

Angel  Island,  San  Francisco,  Cal 140 

Cliff  House  and  Seal  Rocks,  San  Francisco,  Cal.  ,  .  .  142 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 
CHAPTER  I 

MY  ENLISTMENT OFF  FOR  CIRA    .  l.'J 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  LANDING 25 

CHAPTER  III 

AT   SAN   Jl'AN    HILL 30 

CHAPTER  IV 

THE  PRESIDENT'S  MESSAGE — SURRENDER  OF  GEN'L  TORAL.  .       40 

CHAPTER  V 

RETURN   TO  THE   UNITED  STATES    49 

CHAPTER  VI 

RECEPTION  AT  PLATTSBURG  58 

CHAPTER  VII 

ORDERED  TO  THE  PHILIPPINES 67 

CHAPTER  VIII 

ARRIVAL  AT   MANILA 77 

CHAPTER  IX 

AT  EL  DEPOSOTO 88 

9 


10  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  X 

BATTLE  OF  CALAMBA 100 

CHAPTER  XI 

DEFEAT   OF  THE  INSURGENTS 112 

CHAPTER  XII 

FrXERAL  OF  GENERAL  LAWTON    122 

CHAPTER  XIII 

MANILA — JAPAN      128 

CHAPTER  XIV 

SAN    FRANCISCO HOMEWARD  BOUND    .  139 


CHRONOLOGICAL  LIST  OF  BATTLES  AND  ACTIONS 149 

THE   PHILIPPINE    ISLANDS    154 

UNITED POETRY  150 


REMINISCENCES 

OF  THE 

SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


I. 


MY  ENLISTMENT OFF  FOR  CUBA. 

THE  Island  of  Cuba  is  the  largest  of  the 
West  Indies,  and  lies  about  125  miles  from 
the  southern  point  of  Florida.  It  has  often 
been  called  the  "  Pearl  of  the  Antilles."  Its 
population  is  approximately  2,000,000,  two- 
thirds  of  whom  are  white  and  of  Spanish 
origin,  the  remaining  inhabitants  being  a 
mixed  dark  race,  mostly  negroes.  Havana  is 
the  largest  city,  with  a  population  of  about 
300,000. 

For  several  years  Spain  had  ruled  over 
Cuba.  The  tyrannical  governors  sent  by  the 
Spanish  Government  to  Cuba  pillaged  and 
pilfered  until  the  inhabitants  could  stand  the 
same  no  longer.  Many  revolts  occurred,  but 
they  were  of  little  avail.  It  seemed  at  times 
that  the  civilized  nations  of  the  world  would 
take  the  Cuban  matter  in  hand,  and  teach 

13 


14  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

Spain  a  lesson.  However,  it  will  be  seen  that 
it  remained  for  the  United  States 'to  do  this 
work. 

The  United  States  Government  sent  the 
battleship  "  Maine  "  in  February,  1898,  on  a 
friendly  visit  to  Havana,  the  Cuban  capital. 
The  guns  of  More  Castle  cannonaded  a  salute 
to  the  American  battleship  as  it  entered  the 
harbor.  A  pilot  of  the  Spanish  Government 
took  her  safely  to  her  allotted  place  in  the  har- 
bor. The  officers  were  shown  courtesies  of 
every  kind.  The  "  Maine  "  carried  360  officers 
and  men  on  board.  On  the  night  of  February 
loth,  1898,  while  everything  was  silent  in  the 
harbor,  and  most  of  the  ship's  population  were 
asleep,  an  explosion  of  incomparable  force 
shattered  the  stillness  of  the  night.  Portions 
of  the  ship  leaped  high  into  the  air  amid  the 
rushing  of  waters,  and  then  sank  until  only  an 
unrecognizable  part  could  be  seen.  Of  the  360 
on  board,  266  went  down  to  their  death. 

Immediately  many  people  charged  this 
horrible  affair  to  schemings  of  the  Spanish 
authorities.  Of  course  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment denied  the  blame,  and  after  it  had  con- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  15 

ducted  a  so-called  investigation,  announced 
that  the  "  Maine  "  had  been  destroyed  by  an 
internal  explosion.  An  American  Court  of 
Inquiry  carefully  went  into  the  details  of  the 
case,  and  on  March  21st  confirmed  the  view 
which  was  held  by  most  of  the  world,  that  the 
"  Maine  "  had  been  blown  up  by  a  submarine 
mine. 

The  American  people  became  inflamed,  and 
were  anxious  to  draw  sword.  From  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  Canadian 
boundary  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  there  was  a 
unanimous  opinion  of  all  citizens  that  Spain 
should  be  immediately  chastised.  "  Remember 
the  Main  "  was  the  quotation  heard  from  the 
lips  of  every  one. 

On  April  20th  Congress  declared  war 
against  Spain  by  setting  forth  that  the  people 
of  Cuba  were  and  of  right  ought  to  be  free  and 
independent.  To  compel  Spain  to  withdraw 
from  Cuba  and  Cuban  waters,  our  army, 
navy  and  militia  were  placed  at  President 
McKinley's  disposal. 

President  McKinley  called  for  125,000  vol- 
unteers to  serve  for  two  years. 


16  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

At  the  time  I  was  living  in  the  village  of 
Rouses  Point,  Clinton  County,  New  York, 
which  is  still  my  home.  The  President's  call 
for  volunteers  aroused  all  the  patriotism  in  me. 
It  did  not  take  me  long  to  decide  that  I  would 
respond  to  my  country's  call,  but  being  only 
nineteen  years  of  age,  it  was  necessary  for  me 
to  obtain  my  father's  consent. 

I  approached  my  father  and  laid  my  plans 
before  him.  They  did  not  meet  with  his  ap- 
proval. In  fact,  he  told  me  to  discard  from  my 
mind  the  idea  that  I  wanted  to  go  to  war. 
However,  this  did  not  discourage  me,  and  on 
the  following  morning  I  boarded  a  train  for 
Plattsburgh,  at  which  place  there  was  a  re- 
cruiting station.  On  arriving  there  I  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Government  Post  where  I  was 
given  the  proper  blanks  to  be  signed  by  my 
father.  With  these  papers  I  returned  home 
the  same  evening.  The  next  day  was  one  of 
the  most  important  in  my  life.  In  order  to  en- 
list it  was  absolutely  necessary  for  my  father  to 
sign  the  papers  which  I  had  obtained.  I  went 
to  him  again  and  stated  that  I  had  firmly  de- 
cided to  go  to  war,  and  asked  him  to  give  his 


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SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  17 

consent.  After  much  argument  he  realized 
that  I  was  much  in  earnest,  and  decided  to  let 
me  have  my  own  way. 

Having  obtained  my  father's  signature  I 
returned  to  Plattsburgh,  and  on  the  13th  day 
of  May,  1898,  I  joined  Uncle  Sam's  army. 
Some  people  believe  thirteen  to  be  unlucky,  but 
as  you  proceed  with  my  story  you  will  quickly 
ascertain  that  it  was  a  very  lucky  day  for  me. 

When  I  arrived  at  the  Barracks  there 
were  forty-eight  other  recruits,  and  they  were 
about  ready  to  leave  for  Tampa,  Florida,  at 
which  place  the  21st  was  temporarily  stationed. 
After  arriving  at  Plattsburgh  my  great  am- 
bition was  to  have  a  uniform  and  rifle.  This 
was  not  issued  to  recruits  until  a  few  days  dril- 
ling. It  takes  some  time  to  make  raw  material 
look  like  real  soldiers.  We  were  told  that  in 
two  weeks  we  would  be  transferred  to  Fort 
McPherson,  Georgia,  to  be  given  more  drilling, 
with  the  many  recruits  that  had  already  been 
sent  there  from  the  different  recruiting  stations 
throughout  the  country. 

Lieutenant  Stamper,  who  was  the  recruiting 
officer  at  Plattsburgh,  allowed  a  leave  of  ab- 


18  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

sence  to  those  who  lived  in  the  nearby  commu- 
nity. I  took  advantage  of  this  kindness  by 
visiting  my  parents  and  friends  for  two  days 
before  leaving  for  the  war.  Those  two  days 
were  happy  ones  in  a  two-fold  measure.  I  was 
glad  to  be  with  my  parents  and  my  friends, 
and  I  anticipated  the  greatness  of  soon  going 
to  the  front  to  uphold  the  dignity  of  my  coun- 
try. 

On  the  evening  of  May  26,  1898,  four  re- 
cruits, including  myself,  boarded  the  train  en 
route  to  Fort  McPherson,  Ga.  We  went  by 
way  of  New  York  City,  and  after  arriving  at 
the  Grand  Central  Station  we  boarded  a  street 
car  for  the  Ferry  which  would  take  us  to 
Jersey  City.  I  would  have  liked  to  have 
stayed  in  New  York  a  little  while  but  we  had 
no  time. 

At  Jersey  City  we  had  a  long  wait.  I  paid 
a  visit  to  an  aunt  of  mine  residing  at  that  place, 
and  enjoyed  a  good  home  dinner.  Later  on  I 
met  my  soldier  friends  and  we  proceeded  to 
the  Pennsylvania  Station,  and  boarded  a  train 
for  Washington,  D.  C.  When  we  arrived  at 
Washington  I  was  pleased  to  learn  that  we  had 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  19 

another  long  wait.  I  had  heard  so  much  about 
the  capital  of  this  great  country  of  ours  that  I 
wanted  to  see  as  much  of  it  as  possible. 

As  I  was  about  to  leave  the  station  my  at- 
tention was  called  to  a  star-shaped  piece  of 
marble  in  the  floor,  and  near  it  on  the  wall  was 
a  sign  stating  that  the  late  President  Garfield 
had  been  assassinated  on  that  spot. 

The  Capitol,  Washington  Monument,  the 
White  House,  built  of  white  marble,  and  Ford 
Theater,  where  the  late  President  Lincoln  was 
shot,  were  all  very  interesting  sights  to  me. 
What  was  then  the  Ford  Theater  is  on  Tenth 
St.  between  E  and  F  Sts.,  and  is  now  owned 
by  the  United  States  Government,  being  oc- 
cupied by  offices  of  the  Pension  Division  of 
the  War  Department.  Plow  I  did  wish  that  I 
might  spend  more  time  in  Washington,  but 
the  hours  went  past  quickly,  and  I  soon  met 
my  friends  again  at  the  station,  and  we  started 
on  our  way  to  Fort  McPherson,  arriving  there 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day.  The 
trip  was  a  very  pleasant  one. 

Temporary  shacks,  as  they  are  called,  had 
been  made  for  sleeping  quarters.  I  found 


20  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

these  not  quite  so  comfortable  as  my  own  bed 
at  home,  and  when  I  awoke  in  the  morning  my 
body  was  somewhat  sore. 

The  water  supply  was  brought  to  the  shacks 
through  pipes  laid  on  the  surface.  The  sur- 
face was  of  a  sandy  nature,  and  consequently 
the  water  was  somewhat  warm.  The  meals 
were  served  in  a  large  hall  nearby,  and  being 
so  much  different  from  the  table  in  our  own 
dining-room  at  home,  made  it  somewhat  dif- 
ficult, if  not  awkward,  for  me  in  the  beginning. 
Here  we  made  our  first  acquaintance  with 
military  life  and  learned  the  meaning  of  disci- 
pline. 

From  the  beginning  we  were  given  five  hours 
drilling  every  day  in  the  hot  sun.  This  was 
very  hard  for  me,  but  nevertheless  I  was  cou- 
rageous. After  a  two  weeks'  stay  at  this  camp 
I  was  sent  to  Tampa,  Fla.  to  join  the  21st  In- 
fantry. After  arriving  at  Tampa  I  was  as- 
signed to  Company  G.  I  soon  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  the  older  soldiers  who  were  very 
good  to  me.  Their  courtesies  were  appreciated 
very  much.  The  tents  had  been  set  up  all 
around  this  camp  because  most  of  the  troops 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  21 

were  to  leave  for  Cuba  very  shortly.  This 
camp  was  situated  in  a  palm  grove,  which  gave 
us  plenty  of  shade,  but  the  duties  were  much 
more  difficult  than  at  Fort  McPherson,  and 
many  of  the  soldiers  were  taken  sick  and  died 
before  we  left. 

The  Regimental  Band,  being  one  of  the  best 
in  the  army,  furnished  us  with  excellent  music 
nearly  every  night,  which  helped  to  entertain 
us.  Oftentimes  the  band  played  at  Tampa 
Bay  Hotel,  a  resort  which  was  always  crowded 
with  visitors. 

We  were  given  better  food  and  also  had 
better  water  than  in  the  other  camp,  but  the 
heat  was  intense,  especially  when  drilling. 
When  all  the  troops  were  ready  for  service  the 
general  order  was  given  to  break  camp,  and  we 
started  on  our  way  to  the  train  which  was 
to  convey  the  soldiers  to  Tampa  Bay,  where  all 
the  regular  United  States  Transports  were 
ready  to  leave  for  Cuba  under  the  command. of 
General  Shafter  of  the  Fifth  Army  Corps. 

The  sight  of  the  Bay  full  of  ships,  and  all 
of  the  hurrying  attending  an  embarkment  was 
magnificent  and  inspiring,  and,  of  course,  new 


22  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

to  me.  As  nearly  as  I  can  recollect  there  were 
about  fifty-four  Transports,  also  battleships, 
cruisers  and  torpedo  boats  to  escort  the  soldiers 
to  Cuba.  After  we  had  all  been  taken  aboard 
and  were  about  to  sail  a  thunder  storm  com- 
menced to  rage,  and  one  of  the  boats  on  which 
was  the  13th  United  States  Infantry,  was 
struck  by  lightning,  breaking  part  of  the  mast. 
No  one  was  injured,  but  this  caused  a  delay 
until  the  next  morning.  The  following  morn- 
ing I  could  see  thousands  of  people  on  land  and 
on  boats  watching  us  depart,  and  the  bands  of 
the  different  regiments  were  playing  national 
airs.  Fathers,  sons  and  brothers  were  leaving 
for  a  purpose  that  would  be  an  everlasting 
benefit  to  humanity  and  human  civilization. 

It  was  on  June  14th  that  we  sailed  out 
of  Tampa  Bay  with  an  army  of  16,000  men. 
The  weather  was  pleasant  and  enjoyable.  A 
fleet  of  warships  escorted  the  Transports, 
and  among  them  were  the  first  class  battleship 
"  Indiana,"  the  cruisers  "  Helena  "  "  Castine  " 
and  "New  Orleans,"  and  the  fast  despatch 
boat  "Hornet;"  also  several  torpedo  boats. 
The  fleet  was  constantly  on  the  alert  be- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  23 

cause  it  was  known  that  some  ships  had  left 
their  base  and  no  one  knew  their  whereabouts. 
Cevera's  fleet  was  in  Santiago  harbor,  but 
there  was  no  telling  as  to  where  some  lone 
Spanish  ship  might  show  up,  who  would  at- 
tempt to  capture  or  destroy  us. 

During  our  voyage  I  noticed  a  large  water 
spout  rising  from  the  sea.  It  was  directly  in 
our  course,  but  a  shot  from  one  of  the  "  In- 
diana's "  large  guns  soon  pierced  it,  and  tons 
of  water  fell  back  into  the  sea,  making  a  grand 
sight. 

I  was  greatly  interested  as  were  the  rest  of 
the  soldiers,  about  where  we  were  going  to  land. 
Nearly  every  day  the  despatch  boat,  "  Hor- 
net "  would  come  along  the  sides  of  the  Trans- 
ports and  give  different  orders  through  a 
megaphone.  These  orders  were  given  by  one 
of  the  officers  of  the  Flag-ship  "  Indiana."  It 
was  very  difficult  to  understand  what  the  offi- 
cers said  on  account  of  the  wind  blowing  most 
of  the  time.  The  soldiers  talked  among  them- 
selves about  our  landing  place.  It  was  to  be 
a  peculiar  experience  to  put  foot  on  a  foreign 
country  and  take  possession  of  it.  It  was  the 
kind  of  a  story  that  we  had  read  as  boys  in 


24  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

school,  but  I  venture  to  say  that  no  one  of  us 
had  ever  thought  that  we  would  actually  ex- 
perience a  conquest.  A  few  of  the  boys  were 
seasick,  but  after  a  short  time  that  passed 
away,  and  they  were  none  the  worse  for  the 
experience. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  25 


II. 


THE  LANDING. 

AFTER  the  expiration  of  eight  days  on  water 
we  came  to  a  place  which  was  thought  to  be 
favorable  for  landing  purposes.  It  was  a 
small  village  by  the  name  of  Baiquiri,  located 
on  the  southern  coast  of  Cuba  about  twenty 
miles  from  the  city  of  Santiago.  On  the  22nd 

V 

day  of  June,  1898,  we  perfected  a  disembark  - 
ment,  but  before  this  occurred  the  village  was 
bombarded  to  make  sure  that  there  would  be 
no  Spaniards  who  could  interfere  with  our 
operations.  Battleships,  cruisers  and  gunboats 
formed  a  circle,  and  while  this  was  being  done 
the  ships  were  constantly  on  the  move  and 
lookout,  each  taking  their  turn  to  shell  the 
town.  A  small  block-house  stood  on  the  top 
of  a  hill  in  the  town,  and  this  was  struck  by  a 
shell,  but  was  not  completely  demolished. 
It  certainly  was  a  sight  which  no  one  could 


26  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

forget,  as  we  stood  by  about  one  mile  from 
shore  watching  the  bombardment.  The  bom- 
bardment lasted  about  an  hour,  and  then  we 
commenced  to  disembark. 

The  horses  and  mules  were  thrown  over- 
board and  swam  to  shore,  while  the  soldiers 
were  taken  in  row-boats.  The  fussy  small 
steam  launches  went  from  ship  to  ship,  with 
their  string  of  rocking  row-boats,  into  which 
the  men  fell,  tumbled  or  sprawled,  devoid  of 
the  necessary  "  sea  legs  "  which  the  landsman 
needs  to  acquire  if  he  is  to  do  anything  except 
make  himself  a  ridiculous  figure  on  shipboard, 
especially  in  boarding  a  tossing  row-boat  from 
the  deck  of  a  rocking,  unsteady  transport. 
Very  few  of  the  soldiers  who  ferried  across  to 
Cuba  had  acquired  these  necessary  "  sea  legs  " 
because  there  were  not  many  of  us  who  had 
ever  had  any  sea  experience.  In  fact,  some  of 
us  had  never  seen  the  ocean  before,  and  knew 
very  little  of  its  storms  and  calms. 

When  the  small  row-boats  were  filled  the 
race  for  the  shore  began.  The  landing  place 
was  by  no  means  an  easy  one.  It  was  a  stretch 
of  sandy  beach,  and  the  surf  broke  and  rolled 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  27 

in  a  fashion  not  altogether  suited  for  the  trans- 
portation of  a  large  keel  row-boat.  These  row- 
boats  were  towed  along  side  of  the  partly  de- 
stroyed docks,  and  there  we  had  to  wait  for  the 
tide  to  rise,  so  that  the  boats  would  reach  the 
level  of  the  pier.  As  the  boats  reached  the  level 
of  the  pier  we  had  to  jump  out.  Of  course 
many  of  us  fell  into  the  water,  which  was  not 
very  pleasant.  When  we  had  all  landed  I 
noticed  two  large  American  built  locomotives, 
which  were  owned  by  the  Spanish-American 
Iron  Ore  Company.  These  locomotives  had 
been  partly  destroyed  during  the  bombard- 
ment. Many  shacks  were  on  fire  caused  by  the 
shells  thrown  from  the  battleships. 

The  Rough  Riders,  or  the  First  Cavalry  of 
Volunteers,  were  about  the  first  to  land.  Soon 
after  the  landing  some  of  the  boys  ascended 
the  hill  and  planted  the  American  flag  on  the 
damaged  block-house,  which  brought  cheers 
from  all  of  the  soldiers. 

Rations  were  then  given  us,  and  we  had  our 
meal  in  the  open  air.  That  same  night  some  of 
the  regiments  started  on  the  march  to  Saboney, 
which  was  four  miles  distant  from  Baiquiri, 


28  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

but  the  21st  Infantry  and  several  other  regi- 
ments camped  over  night  at  the  latter  town. 
We  slept  in  the  open  air,  and  guards  were  on 
constant  duty  to  give  alarm  in  case  of  interfer- 
ence by  the  Spaniards. 

The  next  morning  at  daybreak  the  remain- 
ing troops  started  for  Saboney,  and  on  this 
hike  we  passed  many  shacks  where  sick  and 
starving  Cubans  lay.  These  poor  fellows  had 
been  righting  for  their  rights  and  the  freedom 
of  their  country.  They  had  barely  enough 
clothes  to  cover  them,  and  hardly  anything  to 
eat.  It  certainly  was  a  pitiful  sight,  and  many 
of  our  soldiers  contributed  food  to  them. 
Some  of  these  poor  Cubans  were  so  weak  that 
they  could  barely  raise  an  arm  to  accept  what 
we  offered  them.  They  had  been  left  alone  to 
care  for  themselves  as  best  they  could. 

After  we  had  gone  a  mile  farther  we  came 
to  a  large  cocoanut  grove  where  we  were  al- 
lowed to  rest.  While  we  were  there  some 
Cuban  scouts  whom  we  had  taken  from  Bai- 
quiri,  informed  us  that  the  milk  of  the  green 
cocoanut  was  very  refreshing.  However,  it 
was  not  an  easy  matter  to  procure  the  cocoa- 
nuts.  The  only  way  was  to  cut  the  tree  or  get 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  29 

the  Cubans  to  climb  to  the  top  of  the  tree  and 
break  the  cocoanuts  off  from  the  branches. 
Cocoanuts  fall  of  their  own  will  only  when  they 
are  fully  ripe. 

After  we  had  quenched  our  thirst  we  con- 
tinued on  our  march  to  Saboney.  On  arriving 
there  the  first  thing  that  attracted  my  atten- 
tion was  large  quantities  of  bacon  and  other 
provisions  piled  near  the  shore.  This  place 
was  the  principal  landing  station  for  supplies. 

We  had  been  at  this  place  only  a  short  time 
when  there  came  to  my  attention  for  the  first 
time  the  results  of  Spanish  bullets.  I  noticed 
dead  and  wounded  soldiers  being  carried  on 
stretchers  down  a  small  hill  back  of  the  town. 

Before  we  had  arrived  the  Rough  Riders, 
First  Cavalry  Volunteers,  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Wood,  had  already  engaged  the 
enemy  at  Guasimas,  about  two  miles  out  of 
Saboney.  The  Rough  Riders  had  been  am- 
bushed, and  it  was  only  through  the  timely 
arrival  of  the  10th  Colored  Cavalry  that  the 
Spaniards  were  repulsed,  but  this  was  not 
brought  about  until  about  seventy-two  men 
had  been  killed  and  many  wounded.  This 
happened  on  the  24th  day  of  June. 


30  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


III. 

AT  SAN  JUAN  PULL. 

A  CIGAR  factory  at  Saboney  was  converted 
into  a  hospital,  and  it  was  not  long  before  it 
was  completely  filled  with  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  from  the  many  regiments.  Our  camp 
was  a  short  distance  from  a  railroad  bridge 
which  was  constantly  guarded  by  soldiers.  As 
I  was  passing  the  hospital  I  noticed  the  dead 
bodies  of  Captain  Capron  and  Hamilton  Fish, 
of  the  Rough  Riders.  These  men  had  lost 
their  lives  in  the  battle  of  Guasimas,  and  their 
bodies  were  taken  to  a  ship  and  transported  to 
the  United  States  for  burial. 

Colonel  McKibbin  of  the  21st  Infantry,  who 
later  on  while  in  the  trenches  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers 
and  also  made  temporary  Military  Governor 
of  Santiago  after  the  surrender  of  that  city, 
received  the  order  that  we  should  break  camp 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  31 

and  move  on  farther,  as  our  regiment  was  sup- 
posed to  be  in  the  reserve  of  General  Chaffee's 
Brigade,  which  consisted  of  the  7th,  12th  and 
17th  regiments  of  Infantry. 

As  we  pressed  onward  we  passed  many 
newly  made  graves  of  Rough  Riders  who  had 
been  killed  in  the  recent  engagement.  The 
place  where  the  fight  occurred  was  in  the 
open,  surrounded  by  low  bushes,  in  which  the 
Spaniards  hid  and  waited  until  the  approach 
of  the  American  forces.  In  the  meantime  some 
of  the  forces  had  advanced  further  towards 
San  Juan  Hill.  That  night  my  regiment 
camped  along  side  of  a  road  at  which  place 
there  was  located  a  pest-house,  where  the  peo- 
ple who  had  contracted  contagious  diseases 
were  being  kept.  A  patrol  was  put  on  guard 
around  this  building,  and  the  soldiers  were  for- 
bidden to  enter  the  place  for  fear  of  catching 
and  spreading  disease.  I  was  one  of  the  sol- 
diers who  patrolled  the  pest-house  that  night. 
During  the  time  of  my  duty  the  roof  on  the 
building  caved  in,  making  a  terrific  noise,  and 
for  a  moment  I  was  quite  certain  that  the 
Spanish  army  was  charging  on  me,  but  this 


32  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

feeling  disappeared  in  a  few  seconds  and  I 
recovered  my  composure.  It  was  found  that 
the  tile  covered  roof  was  too  heavy  for  the  old 
building,  and  had  given  away. 

While  stationed  at  this  place  I  had  already 
seen  the  pack  mules  with  ammunition  on  the 
way  to  the  front,  together  with  the  advance 
column  of  General  Chaffee's  and  General 
Lawton's  men.  These  regiments  later  drove 
the  Spaniards  out  of  El  Caney,  which  is  to  the 
right  of  San  Juan  Hill. 

On  the  first  day  of  July  we  again  started  on 
the  hike,  but  we  had  proceeded  only  a  short 
distance  when  I  began  to  hear  the  roar  of 
battle.  The  soldiers  who  had  gone  ahead  were 
already  engaged  with  the  Spaniards,  and  the 
whizzing  of  the  Mauser  bullets  of  the  enemy 
over  our  heads  was  another  new  experience  for 
me.  The  bullets  were  coming  too  low  for  com- 
fort, and  the  command  was  soon  given  to  lay 
low  and  to  drop  our  knapsacks  and  haversacks. 
A  horse  that  was  feeding  along  side  the  road 
only  a  short  distance  from  where  I  lay  was  shot 
in  the  head.  I  began  to  realize  that  our  posi- 
tion was  dangerous,  and  that  it  was  about  time 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  33 

to  move.  The  bullets  commenced  to  come 
thicker  and  faster,  and  I  did  not  at  all  wel- 
come their  humming.  Some  of  our  men  had 
already  been  hit  by  the  Mauser  bullets,  and  I 
was  expecting  that  almost  any  moment  I 
would  be  one  of  the  victims. 

We  pressed  onward  and  soon  arrived  at 
San  Juan  River,  which  we  had  to  cross,  hold- 
ing our  rifles  above  our  heads,  in  full  view  of 
the  Spaniards  on  the  Hill  in  front  of  us.  In 
affecting  this  crossing  many  of  the  men  were 
drowned,  some  were  shot  dead,  and  others  were 
wounded,  but  in  the  excitement  we  pressed  on- 
ward and  the  horrible  scene  seemed  to  pass 
unnoticed.  We  soon  reached  the  foot  of  San 
Juan  Hill,  which  afterwards  became  famous 
as  one  of  the  most  important  battles  of  the 
campaign. 

At  San  Juan  Hill  the  general  command  was 
given  to  deploy  and  form  a  skirmish  line,  and 
we  lost  no  time  in  executing  the  command. 

We  then  proceeded  to  climb  the  hill  which 
was  a  net-work  of  barbed  wire,  bushes  and 
shrubbery,  and  many  times  we  became  so  en- 
tangled that  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  go 


34  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

onward.  The  barbed  wire  was  laid  close  to 
the  ground,  and  it  was  difficult  to  see  the  same. 
Besides  that,  the  block-house  situated  in  front 
of  us  on  the  Hill  was  one  of  the  Spanish  strong- 
holds, and  the  Spaniards  made  it  troublesome 
for  us  in  forcing  our  way  through  their  lines. 
The  6th  and  the  16th  Infantry  and  the  10th 
Colored  Cavalry  Regulars,  that  had  already 
been  engaged  ahead  of  us,  drove  the  enemy 
back  and  captured  the  block-house.  These 
regiments  were  the  first  to  plant  the  American 
Flag  on  top  of  San  Juan  Hill,  but  they  did 
not  accomplish  this  until  after  the  sacrifice  of 
many  lives  and  the  wounding  of  many  brave 
men.  It  has  been  claimed  by  military  experts 
that  the  Mauser  rifles  were  of  longer  range 
and  smaller  calibre,  using  smokeless  powder, 
and  superior  to  our  Krag  Jorgensen,  and  of 
course  these  better  guns  were  in  favor  of  the 
enemy.  Another  fact  to  be  remembered  is 
that  the  volunteers  were  armed  with  the  old 
Springfield  rifles  of  forty-five  calibre. 

At  sun-down  most  of  the  United  States 
army  had  reached  the  hill.  Also  General 
Garcia's  army  of  Cubans,  and  they  all  took 


Q 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  35 

their  position  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  line. 
The  food  supplies  had  followed  along,  but 
were  in  the  rear. 

That  night  we  started  to  dig  trenches  with 
our  bayonets,  which  was  very  slow  work,  but 
we  managed  to  scrape  up  enough  dirt  to  make 
some  protection.  One  thing  that  added  to  our 
troubles  was  that  we  had  no  drinking  water 
and  nothing  to  eat,  and,  my  dear  readers,  I 
can  assure  you  that  it  was  very  trying  when 
recollection  came  to  me  of  all  the  good  things 
that  I  had  had  at  home,  but  I  soon  discarded 
that  from  my  mind,  and  my  courage  was 
aroused  to  make  the  best  of  all  of  it. 

For  a  short  time  the  Spaniards  ceased  firing, 
but  it  was  not  long  before  they  opened  up 
again,  and  our  boys  quickly  responded.  Only 
a  few  feet  to  the  rear  of  the  trench  from  where 
I  stood  one  of  our  soldiers  was  shot  in  the  side, 
exploding  some  of  the  cartridges  he  had  in  his 
belt,  and  tearing  a  large  hole  in  his  body.  The 
suffering  that  this  poor  fellow  endured  was 
heart  rending,  but  it  was  soon  over  with,  and 
another  brave  man  had  died  fighting  for  the 
dignity  of  his  country. 


36  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

That  same  night  picks  and  shovels  were 
given  to  us  to  enlarge  the  trenches  that  had  al- 
ready been  started  with  the  bayonets.  We 
worked  very  diligently  all  of  the  time  during 
the  night,  and  made  good  use  of  the  imple- 
ments. 

AVe  had  been  without  food  and  water  for 
about  twenty-eight  hours.  We  could  get 
along  without  food  much  better  than  without 
water,  but  there  was  no  time  to  think  of  food  or 
drink  because  we  were  constantly  under  the 
heavy  fire  of  the  Spanish  soldiers.  About 
twelve  o'clock  at  night  Lieutenant  Spurgin 
detailed  six  men  of  the  company,  of  which  I 
was  one,  to  go  for  water  to  a  small  brook  about 
a  mile  in  the  rear.  Each  of  us  took  several 
canteens  and  went  along.  We  proceeded  to 
the  brook  with  some  difficulty,  as  the  night  was 
very  dark,  and  we  did  not  know  the  exact  loca- 
tion of  the  water,  but  after  a  while  we  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  the  brook.  We  filled  our 
canteens  and  started  on  our  way  back  amid  a 
shower  of  bullets  flying  thick  and  fast  all 
about  us.  We  finally  reached  our  company  in 
safety,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  our  efforts 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  37 

were  appreciated  by  the  boys,  who  were  very 
thirsty  and  greatly  in  need  of  water.  This 
water  was  not  cold  and  clean,  but  it  quenched 
our  thirst,  and  was  very  welcome. 

While  we  were  away  for  water  the  food  sup- 
plies arrived,  and  such  as  they  were,  seemed 
to  be  a  godsend.  Each  soldier  was  allowed  a 
small  piece  of  bacon,  three  hardtacks,  and  a 
can  of  tomatoes  to  be  divided  among  three.  It 
was  not  very  much  for  one  who  was  hungry, 
but  I  can  assure  you  that  it  tasted  mighty  good 
to  me.  Later  on  we  were  given  the  famous 
canned  roast  beef  that  caused  so  much  sick- 
ness, and  from  the  eating  of  which  many  of  the 
boys  suffered  fatally.  By  the  time  that  we 
had  gotten  our  rations  the  firing  had  ceased, 
much  to  our  joy,  and  we  wondered  what  would 
occur  next. 

On  the  2nd  day  of  July  the  firing  again 
started  and  lasted  until  night.  The  trenches 
we  had  dug  were  almost  filled  with  water  and 
mud,  as  it  had  been  raining  very  hard,  and  all 
of  the  boys  were  drenched  through  to  the  skin. 

The  line  of  intrenchments  extended  about 
ten  miles,  and  the  dirt  which  we  had  dug  out 


38  BEMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

was  thrown  in  front  of  us  to  make  a  breast- 
work. The  soil  was  mostly  clay,  and  very  hard 
to  excavate,  but  the  officers  as  well  as  the  men 
had  to  endure  the  same  hardships. 

We  lay  there  for  about  seventeen  days, 
which  seemed  like  as  many  weeks.  Early  on 
the  morning  of  July  3rd  I  heard  some  terrible 
cannonading,  but  did  not  know  the  reason 
for  this  heavy  gun-firing.  Some  of  the  boys 
thought  that  the  American  fleet  was  making 
an  effort  to  bombard  the  city  of  Santiago,  for 
it  had  been  the  talk  among  the  soldiers  that 
Admirals  Sampson  and  Schley  with  their  boats 
were  contemplating  the  bombardment  of  the 
city.  It  was  during  this  time  that  the  dyna- 
mite boat  "  Vesuvius  "  failed  to  do  any  dam- 
age to  the  city,  but  we,  not  knowing  what  was 
going  on  at  the  time,  were  placed  on  the  look- 
out. It  was  generally  thought  that  the  fleet 
was  bombarding  Santiago,  and  that  the  Span- 
iards might  have  been  forced  to  come  out,  and 
would  undoubtedly  charge  on  us.  We  pre- 
pared for  any  attack  which  they  might  make. 

The  ground  shook  as  if  an  earthquake  was 
taking  place  as  the  heavy  firing  of  the  large 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  39 

guns  on  the  battleship  continued.  This  lasted 
for  about  two  hours.  The  same  morning  at 
eleven  o'clock  the  startling  news  came  to  us 
that  the  Spanish  fleet  under  the  command  of 
Admiral  Cevera  had  tried  to  escape  and  had 
been  destroyed. 

This  report  was  read  to  all  of  the  troops  by 
the  different  officers,  and  the  cheers  that  went 
up  could  be  heard  through  all  the  trenches. 
It  was  a  great  victory  for  the  American  Navy. 


40  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


IV. 


THE  PRESIDENT  S  MESSAGE SURRENDER  OF  GEN. 

TORAL. 

ON  July  6th  while  the  flag  of  truce  was  up, 
the  Spanish  and  American  Generals  met  under 
the  Ceiha  tree,  where  they  arranged  for  the 
exchange  of  prisoners.  Lieutenant  Hobson 
and  his  men,  who  had  attempted  to  sink  the 
Merrimac  for  the  purpose  of  bottling  up  the 
Spanish  fleet,  were  some  of  the  prisoners  who 
were  to  be  given  in  exchange  for  Spanish 
prisoners  of  war.  While  this  arrangement  was 
being  made  we  took  advantage  of  the  time  to 
boil  some  coffee,  and  partook  of  what  we 
considered  a  very  good  meal,  consisting  of 
canned  tomatoes,  canned  beef,  and  last  but  not 
least,  the  old  standby,  hardtack. 

Both  of  the  armies  were  out  of  the  trenches, 
facing  each  other.  Our  army  was  on  the 
hill,  and  could  easily  see  the  enemy  walk- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  41 

ing  up  and  down  in  front  of  their  places  of  con- 
cealment. Just  as  the  flag  of  truce  was  low- 
ered both  sides  immediately  renewed  opera- 
tions. Almost  in  front  where  my  regiment 
was  entrenched  was  a  large  building,  and  on 
the  four  corners  of  this  old  building  could  be 
seen  Red  Cross  flags  fluttering  in  the  wind. 
We  did  not  fire  on  this  building  because  it 
seemed  to  be  a  hospital,  but  we  soon  learned 
that  the  Spaniards  had  made  fortifications  of 
the  building,  and  had  mounted  many  large 
guns  at  this  place.  As  soon  as  we  learned 
that  they  were  trying  to  deceive  us  by  tactics 
that  are  not  usually  resorted  to  by  civilized 
nations  in  time  of  war,  we  started  firing  and 
soon  had  the  flags  down  and  the  building  re- 
duced. It  required  only  a  few  minutes  for  our 
batteries  to  find  its  range.  The  firing  at  this 
time  was  fierce  on  both  sides,  and  continued  up 
to  the  14th  day  of  July,  when  the  flag  of  truce 
was  again  hoisted. 

A  very  remarkable  incident  happened  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  10th,  when  a  shell  pierced 
through  the  trenches  occupied  by  Company  G 
of  the  21st  Infantry,  and  buried  itself  to  our 


42  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

rear  in  the  mud;  fortunately  for  the  members 
of  the  company  it  did  not  explode,  for  if  it  had, 
most  of  us  would  have  been  annihilated.  I  re- 
marked to  one  of  my  friends  next  to  me  that 
we  had  just  had  a  close  call.  The  American 
papers  got  out  the  news  that  nearly  all  of 
the  company  of  the  21st  had  been  killed  or 
wounded.  Of  course  the  parents  of  the  boys 
who  had  gone  to  the  front  and  the  many  rela- 
tives found  this  kind  of  news  unpleasant  read- 
ing. 

By  this  time  many  of  the  soldiers  were  either 
sick  or  wounded.  Fever  had  taken  hold  of  the 
men  and  affected  much  more  deadly  harm  than 
did  the  Spanish  bullets.  Lying  in  the  mud 
and  water  for  so  long  a  time  was  not  health- 
ful. 

Our  artillery  had  taken  its  position  about 
half  a  mile  to  the  rear,  and  fired  their  shrapnels 
over  the  trenches,  whizzing  over  our  heads  with 
a  big  noise.  At  the  same  time  the  Spanish 
artillery  kept  up  a  heavy  fire,  attempting  to 
silence  our  battereis  which  were  doing  them 
great  damage.  The  bullets  and  shells  were  fly- 
ing thick  and  fast,  and  we  kept  our  rifles  busy 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  43 

all  of  the  time.  There  were  with  us  many 
gatling  guns,  which  fired  one  hundred  and 
twenty  shots  a  minute.  Of  course  they  accom- 
plished a  deadly  result.  In  this  engagement 
both  sides  lost  heavily,  but  it  was  a  favorable 
result  for  the  American  boys.  This  was  the 
last  stand  the  Spaniards  made. 

On  the  14th  day  of  July  Generals  Shafter 
and  Toral  again  met  at  the  Ceiba  tree,  where 
.they  had  met  before  for  the  release  of  Lieu- 
tenant Hobsoii  and  his  men.  This  time  they 
met  to  make  arrangements  for  the  surrender 
of  the  Spanish  forces,  and  on  the  16th  day  of 
July  the  capitulation  was  signed.  The  joyful 
news  spread  quickly  over  and  around  the 
hills,  through  the  rifle-pits  and  trenches  until 
the  whole  army  had  heard  that  Santiago  had 
fallen.  Of  course  we  were  not  long  in  getting 
out  of  the  trenches  after  this  news  arrived. 

Following  this  General  Shafter  and  his 
Staff  entered  the  city  and  ran  up  the  "  Stars 
and  Stripes  "  on  the  Governor's  Palace,  and 
the  band  of  the  6th  Cavalry  played  the  "  Star 
Spangled  Banner,"  our  national  air.  Santiago 
had  fallen,  and  President  McKinley  cable- 


44  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

grammed  to  General  Shafter  in  the  field  the 
following  message,  which  was  read  to  all  the 
army. 

"  The  President  of  the  United  States  sends 
to  you  and  your  brave  army,  the  profound 
thanks  of  the  American  people,  for  the  bril- 
liant achievement  at  Santiago,  resulting  in  the 
surrender  of  the  city  and  all  the  Spanish  troops 
and  territory  under  General  Toral.  Your 
splendid  command  has  endured  not  only  the 
hardships  and  sacrifices  incident  to  campaign 
and  battle,  but  in  the  stress  of  heat  and  weather 
has  triumphed  over  obstacles  which  would  have 
overcome  men  less  brave  and  determined.  One 
and  all  have  displayed  the  most  conspicuous 
gallantry,  and  earned  the  gratitude  of  the  na- 
tion. The  hearts  of  the  people  turn  with 
tender  sympathy  to  the  sick  and  wounded. 
May  the  Father  of  Mercies  protect  and  com- 
fort you." 

General  Toral,  with  all  of  his  men,  about 
twenty-two  thousand  in  number,  together  with 
rifles  and  artillery,  surrendered  to  the  Ameri- 
can forces.  In  honor  of  this  surrender  a  salute 
of  twenty-one  guns  was  fired  amid  the  cheers 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  45 

of  the  American  army.  It  was  a  thrilling 
sight,  and  a  feeling  that  no  one  could  ever  for- 
get. 

Of  the  21st  Infantry  there  were  nine  killed 
and  thirty- four  wounded,  but  the  number  who 
died  from  sickness  was  very  large.  As  soon  as 
the  firing  was  over  we  experienced  much  sick- 
ness which  was  more  deadly  than  the  Spanish 
fire. 

Soon  after  the  surrender  I  was  detailed  with 
other  soldiers  of  my  company,  to  go  to  the  city 
of  Santiago  with  an  army  wagon  for  coffins  for 
the  dead  comrades.  The  road  leading  to  the 
city  was  in  very  bad  condition.  On  arriving 
there  we  proceeded  to  a  building  where  some 
of  our  Americans  were  making  coffins. 

My  attention  was  attracted  to  the  narrow 
streets  of  the  city,  and  their  quaint  old  build- 
ings, some  of  which  had  been  damaged  by  our 
shells.  I  was  anxious  to  see  as  much  of  the  city 
as  possible,  and  I  took  advantage  of  this  trip. 
I  saw  that  many  of  the  Spanish  citizens  who 
had  left  the  town  during  the  war,  had  returned 
by  this  time  and  were  ready  to  resume  their 
business.  Army  wagons  were  drawing  pro- 


46  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

visions  in  large  quantities,  as  there  was  an 
abundance  for  all  the  soldiers. 

We  were  then  given  fresh  bread  that  had 
been  made  in  Santiago  by  the  bakers  who  were 
in  the  service,  each  man  receiving  half  a  loaf 
at  each  meal.  Fresh  meat  was  also  given  us, 
which  was  some  change  in  the  menu  that  we 
had  had  before. 

A  short  time  ago  I  mentioned  leaving  our 
haversacks  to  the  rear  as  we  were  about  to 
cross  San  Juan  River  for  the  purpose  of  charg- 
ing up  San  Juan  Hill.  Of  course  it  was  some- 
what difficult  to  recover  these,  as  they  had 
been  scattered  along  the  road.  The  regiment 
number  and  company  is  printed  on  every  hav- 
ersack, so  in  this  manner  we  knew  how  to  find 
them. 

As  I  proceeded  on  my  way  I  noticed  hun- 
dreds of  buzzards  soaring  in  the  air,  which  is  a 
sign  that  there  is  something  dead  in  the  vi- 
cinity. Just  west  of  where  I  was  walking  I 
noticed  a  dead  American  soldier  lying  in  the 
mud  with  a  bullet  wound  near  his  heart.  His 
eyes  had  been  picked  out  by  the  buzzards. 
Many  Spanish  soldiers  lay  scattered  about, 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  47 

who  had  met  the  same  fate.  It  was  a  spectacle 
horrible  to  behold.  Some  of  our  men  who  had 
been  killed  met  their  death  from  Spanish 
sharpshooters,  who  were  hidden  in  trees  under 
cover  of  the  leaves,  making  it  very  difficult  to 
locate  the  source  of  fire. 

After  we  had  found  our  haversacks  we  re- 
turned to  our  camp,  where  they  were  assorted 
so  that  every  man  had  his  own.  They  came  in 
very  handy  because  they  contained  many  use- 
ful things.  I  found  an  old  letter  in  mine,  that 
had  been  written  to  me  in  Tampa,  and  made 
good  use  of  the  envelope,  as  you  will  soon  see. 
I  wrote  a  letter  to  my  parents  on  the  back  of  a 
tomato  can  label,  for  that  was  the  very  best 
that  I  could  procure  in  the  line  of  writing 
paper.  Then  I  turned  the  old  envelope  inside 
out  and  placed  the  letter  in  it.  Having  no 
glue  I  sewed  it  up  with  black  thread  that  I 
found  in  my  haversack.  In  this  letter  I  wrote 
my  parents  the  experiences  which  I  had  just 
gone  through.  I  knew  they  were  anxious  to 
hear  from  me.  Of  course  I  had  no  such  thing 
as  postage  stamps,  so  I  wrote  on  the  corner 


48  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

of  the  letter  "  Soldier's  letter,"  the  postage  be- 
ing paid  at  the  place  of  destination. 

The  Spanish  soldiers  whom  we  had  taken 
prisoners  of  war  would  exchange  cigarettes 
and  cigars  with  us  for  our  hardtack.  The  ex- 
change was  not  only  a  treat  for  our  boys,  but 
also  for  the  Spaniards. 

It  was  a  hard  task  to  keep  clean,  but  we 
were  soon  given  new  uniforms,  and  the  old  ones 
put  into  a  pile  and  burned.  All  of  the  boys,  in- 
cluding myself,  were  anxious  about  returning 
home  because  some  had  already  been  started 
back.  We  were  anxiously  waiting  for  the  kind 
news  that  would  take  us  from  this  dreadful 
place  where  so  much  sickness  and  disease  was 
then  prevalent. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  49 


V. 

RETURN  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

FINALLY  the  glad  news  came,  and  we  started 
on  our  way  to  Santiago  with  several  of  the 
other  regiments.  When  we  reached  the  city 
many  of  the  boys  found  things  to  be  of  an  in- 
teresting nature,  but  it  was  not  new  to  me  be- 
cause I  had  been  there  before.  On  arriving  at 
the  docks  a  vessel  which  had  been  heretofore 
used  for  carrying  cattle  from  Havana  to  San- 
tiago was  in  waiting  to  transport  the  soldiers. 
You  can  imagine  the  means  of  transportation 
we  had  to  contend  with,  but  we  were  satisfied 
with  almost  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  vessel 
that  would  carry  us  back  to  the  shore  of  the 
dear  old  United  States,  or  to  what  the  boys 
properly  termed  "  God's  Country."  All  I 
thought  of  was  the  gladness  of  being  home 
once  again. 

As  we  were  passing  through  the  harbor  of 


50  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

Santiago  it  was  an  interesting  sight  to  see  the 
famous  "  Merrimac  "  which  had  been  sunk  by 
Hobson  and  his  brave  crew  for  the  purpose  of 
blocking  the  entrance  to  the  harbor.  There  it 
lay,  to  the  left  of  us  as  we  were  going  out  of 
the  harbor,  with  only  the  masts  and  smoke- 
stack in  sight  above  the  water.  On  the  other 
side  I  could  see  Morro  Castle,  which  was  the 
boast  of  the  Spanish  army  and  fleet.  There  it 
stood  so  prominently  with  "  Old  Glory  "  float- 
ing proudly  over  it. 

This  castle  was  built  of  stone,  cut  by  pris- 
oners of  ancient  days.  It  was  claimed  in  a 
statement  by  General  Weyler,  who  was  Gov- 
ernor of  the  island  before  the  war,  that  this 
castle  could  not  be  destroyed  by  any  of  the 
guns  of  the  American  army  or  navy. 

Upon  coming  out  of  the  harbor  the  sea  was 
running  high,  and  as  our  ship  was  not  a  very 
large  one.  we  were  tossed  about,  making  only 
from  five  to  six  knots  an  hour,  which  was  very 
slow  going.  The  engines  of  the  vessel  were  in 
poor  condition,  and  the  accommodations  on 
board  very  poor,  but  all  the  boys  overlooked 
these  discomforts  because  we  were  so  pleased 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  51 

that  we  were  on  our  way  home  after  a  success- 
ful campaign  for  our  country.  I  also  wish  to 
mention  that  while  out  at  sea  on  our  return 
home  on  the  20th  day  of  August  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  celebrating  my  twentieth  birthday. 

After  being  at  sea  four  days  we  sighted 
Long  Island,  which  was  the  source  of  great 
joy.  I  could  hear  the  boys  say  "  Home  at 
last,"  and  it  surely  was  home,  for  when  we  ar- 
rived at  Montauk  Point,  Long  Island,  prep- 
arations had  been  made  for  all  the  return- 
ing soldiers  from  Cuba.  As  we  landed  from 
the  steamer  the  noble  Red  Cross  Society  was 
ready  to  meet  us,  giving  to  each  of  us  a  hot  cup 
of  beef  tea  as  we  passed  by  the  tent.  You  may 
be  sure  that  we  thoroughly  appreciated  this 
kindness. 

A  few  days  after  our  arrival  the  report  went 
around  the  camp  that  the  boat  on  which  we  ar- 
rived had  been  sunk. 

Wall  tents  had  been  put  up  for  our  use  with 
comfortable  bunks  to  sleep  in,  two  soldiers  be- 
ing allotted  to  each  tent.  A  temporary  pump- 
ing station  had  been  erected  to  distribute  water 
around  the  different  parts  of  the  camp.  A 


52  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

temporary  hospital,  which  had  also  been 
erected,  was  soon  filled  with  sick  soldiers. 

A  furlough  was  given  the  soldiers  who  were 
in  the  hospital  as  soon  as  they  were  able  to 
leave.  During  our  stay  at  camp  we  received 
our  pay,  which  was  the  first  money  received 
since  I  had  enlisted.  It  was  welcome  because  I 
needed  it,  and  so  did  most  of  the  other  boys. 
The  food  given  us  at  this  place  was  very  good, 
and  we  were  again  given  new  uniforms  and  the 
old  ones  taken  from  us  and  burned. 

People  from  all  over  the  United  States  came 
to  witness  the  return  of  Uncle  Sam's  soldiers. 
The  visitors  were  very  courteous  to  us.  They 
gave  us  fruits  and  dainties  which  was  quite  a 
change  from  what  we  had  been  having.  But 
all  was  not  happiness.  Some  of  our  boys  died 
while  we  were  here,  and  it  caused  a  gloom  to 
spread  over  the  camp. 

Every  day  excursions  from  New  York  and 
surrounding  towns  came  to  visit  Us.  The  ex- 
citement at  this  time  was  great,  and  all  inter- 
est seemed  to  turn  towards  the  homecoming  of 
the  troops.  While  the  excitement  was  going 
on  I  was  taken  sick  with  fever  and  went  to  the 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  53 

hospital.  It  was  while  I  was  there  that  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  President  McKinley, 
who  came  to  the  hospital  to  visit  the  heroes  of 
the  war.  As  he  passed  through  the  wards, 
shaking  hands  with  many  of  the  sick,  one  could 
easily  see  upon  his  kindly  face  the  imprint  of 
his  noble  character,  which  told  in  unspeakable 
words  his  heartfelt  sympathy  for  the  soldiers 
who  had  gone  to  the  front,  and  also  the  sorrow 
that  the  war  had  caused  him,  for  it  was  a  well- 
known  fact  that  he  had  exhausted  all  of  his 
diplomatic  ability  to  prevent  the  war. 

A  few  days  in  the  hospital  and  I  was  again 
able  to  be  out,  performing  my  duties  at  camp. 

In  September  the  21st  Infantry  received 
orders  to  return  to  Plattsburgh,  where  the  regi- 
ment had  been  stationed  before  they  left  for 
the  seat  of  war.  It  did  not  take  long  for  the 
joyful  news  of  our  return  home  to  spread 
among  the  boys,  and  it  certainly  was  received 
with  cheers.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  14th  of 
September  we  marched  to  the  train  which  was 
two  miles  from  the  camp,  and  there  boarded 
the  train  which  would  bring  us  to  the  boat  that 
would  land  the  regiment  at  New  London, 


54  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

Connecticut.  The  two  hours  ride  on  the  water 
was  enjoyed  by  all,  as  the  weather  was  beau- 
tiful. 

We  received  a  rousing  welcome  as  we 
landed.  Having  considerable  time  to  wait  for 
a  special  train  before  starting  we  took  advan- 
tage of  this  wait,  and  went  around  the  city  to 
take  in  the  sights.  That  evening  we  boarded 
the  Central  Vermont  train  that  would  take 
us  to  Rouses  Point,  and  then  to  Plattsburgh. 
The  train  was  run  in  two  sections,  and  it  cer- 
tainly did  seem  good  to  feel  that  we  were  on 
our  way  home.  After  travelling  all  night  we 
reached  St.  Albans  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  again  we  witnessed  another  reception 
from  the  people  of  that  city.  Our  stay  there 
was  very  short,  as  we  remained  just  long 
enough  to  change  locomotives.  It  was  not 
long  before  we  came  in  sight  of  dear  old  Lake 
Champlain.  We  crossed  the  Rutland  and 
Central  Vermont  Railroad  bridge,  where  once 
again  I  had  a  good  view  of  Rouses  Point,  my 
home  town,  and  it  certainly  looked  good  to 
me.  Fort  Montgomery  could  easily  be  seen 
from  the  bridge,  and  several  questions  were •** 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  55 

asked  me  about  the  old  fort,  as  some  of  the  boys 
knew  that  Rouses  Point  was  my  home. 

On  arriving  at  the  station  I  was  met  by  my 
father,  mother,  sisters  and  brothers,  to  say 
nothing  of  all  my  dear  old  friends  who  had 
come  to  the  station  to  welcome  me.  Just  as  I 
was  getting  off  the  train  I  was  presented  with 
beautiful  flowers  by  one  of  the  leading  ladies 
of  the  town.  The  school  children  had  been  let 
out  during  that  hour  so  that  they  could  witness 
the  return  of  the  soldiers. 

Our  stay  at  Rouses  Point  was  short,  and  our 
train  soon  shifted  onto  the  Delaware  &  Hud- 
son tracks,  and  we  were  again  on  our  way  to 
the  city  of  Plattsburgh,  a  distance  of  twenty- 
four  miles.  We  arrived  there  at  about  twelve 
o'clock  noon  on  the  15th  day  of  September, 
1898. 

On  arriving  at  Plattsburgh  we  were  met  by 
many  people  who  had  gathered  at  the  station 
from  the  city  and  surrounding  towns  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  us  a  welcome.  The  21st  In- 
fantry was  more  than  welcomed.  People  were 
excited,  whistles  were  blowing,  church  and 
school  bells  were  ringing,  bands  were  playing, 


56  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

and  every  one  seemed  to  be  taking  a  holiday  to 
celebrate  the  occasion. 

It  was  a  day  mingled  with  joy  and  sorrow. 
Mothers,  wives,  sisters,  brothers  and  sweet- 
hearts came  to  meet  the  boys  who  had  returned, 
while  others  came  to  inquire  of  the  dear  ones 
who  were  left  behind  never  to  return. 

The  hospital  train  had  preceded  us,  and  they 
were  not  such  a  cheerful  lot  of  boys  because 
many  were  still  very  sick  with  the  fever,  others 
were  convalescing,  and  many  of  them  died 
after  their  arrival. 

After  leaving  the  train  we  all  formed  into 
our  own  companies  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Ebstein,  and  started  on  our  way  to- 
wards the  Barracks,  headed  by  Brigadier 
General  McKibbin,  Captain  Ebstein  and  Lieu- 
tenant Morrow,  aide  of  General  McKibbin. 
These  officers  were  mounted.  Then  came  the 
Rouses  Point  Cornet  Band,  which  pleased  me 
very  much,  and  following  the  officers  and  en- 
listed men,  a  total  of  about  two  hundred  and 
forty-nine  out  of  five  hundred  and  sixty-five 
who  had  gone  to  the  front,  came  the  21st  In- 
fantry band,  who  had  also  lost  a  number  of 


»  — 

•- 


I  ..V 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  57 

players  on  account  of  sickness.  However,  we 
were  all  cheerful  and  enjoyed  the  reception 
that  was  being  tendered  us. 

The  city  was  beautifully  decorated,  and 
American  and  Cuban  flags  were  prominent 
in  display.  Citizens  crowded  the  streets  with 
joy  and  gladness  on  their  faces  because  of  our 
return. 


58  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


VI. 


RECEPTION  AT  PLATTSBUKGH. 

ON  arriving  at  the  barrack  grounds  we 
found  the  road  lined  on  botli  sides  with  several 
hundred  recruits,  who  had  enlisted  while  the 
regiment  had  been  away,  and  as  we  marched 
by  they  presented  arms.  Arriving  at  the  mess 
hall  we  found  to  our  astonishment  that  the 
ladies  of  Plattsburgh  had  prepared  a  grand 
dinner  for  the  officers  and  men.  The  hall  was 
beautifully  decorated  for  the  occasion,  and 
when  we  had  all  been  seated  at  the  different 
tables,  the  following  formal  written  message 
was  presented  by  Dr.  Madden  of  Platts- 
burgh, Chairman  of  .Citizens'  Executive  Com- 
mittee. 

"  Officers  and  men  of  the  21st  Regiment 
of  Infantry : 

For  almost  five  months  the  citizens  of 


Q 


W 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  50 

the  City  of  Plattsburgh  watched  your  for- 
tunes with  anxious  solicitude.  For  you, 
we  have  dreaded,  hoped,  feared  and  ex- 
ulted; and  from  your  intrepid  behavior, 
we  have  all  felt  ourselves  entitled  to  dis- 
tinction. Heroism  is  always  associated 
with  the  pathetic,  and  now  that  the  perils 
of  war  are  passed,  the  joy  of  the  welcome, 
which  it  is  our  distinguished  privilege  to 
give  to  you,  is  tinged  with  solemnity.  It  is 
prompted  not  only  by  that  universal  and 
enthusiastic  sentiment  of  admiration  and 
gratitude  which  to-day  is  swelling  in  every 
American  heart,  but  also  by  that  nearer 
personal  attachment  developed  through 
years  of  association  with  you,  during 
which  time  you  have  become  the  recipients 
of  our  trust,  our  respect,  our  honor  and 
our  affection.  As  you  return  with  ranks 
depleted  from  the  withering  blast  of  bat- 
tle and  the  wasting  breath  of  disease,  our 
huzzas  for  your  gallantry  are  tempered 
by  minor  tones  of  grief  at  the  losses  and 
sacrifices  you  have  undergone.  We  exult 
in  your  triumphs,  but  we  sorrow  at  your 


60  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

sufferings.  We  rejoice  in  your  return, 
but  we  mourn  for  the  men  as  brave  as  you 
who  met  their  death  in  Cuban  thicket,  or 
in  distant  hospitals,  and  for  those  men, 
your  comrades  whom  reduced  from  the 
strength  of  manhood  to  infant  helpless- 
ness, you  have  left  behind.  Words  them- 
selves are  totally  inadequate  to  fully  ex- 
press the  depth  and  sincerity  of  our  greet- 
ings. We  have  sought  a  more  substan- 
tial means  than  that  of  hackneyed  phrase. 
We  ask  you  to  behold  it  in  flushed  cheek 
and  kindling  eye,  to  hear  it  in  the  welcom- 
ing cheer  and  individual  congratulations, 
to  feel  it  in  the  warm  hand  grasp,  and  to 
enjoy  it  in  all  the  attentions,  which  we  are 
proud  to  bestow  upon  you  in  recognition 
of  the  dangerous  service  you  have  done." 

To  this  beautiful  address  Captain  Ebstein 
made  the  following  reply:— 

"  On  behalf  of  the  officers  and  men  of 
the  21st  Infantry,  I  return  the  sincere 
thanks  of  all  for  the  magnificent  reception 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  61 

extended  to  us  on  our  return  from  the 
campaign  in  Cuba.  It  was  indeed  a  glo- 
rious homecoming,  the  generous,  bountiful 
and  sincere  welcome  you  extended  to  us 
has  touched  us  deeply,  and  makes  us  more 
in  love  with  Plattsburgh  and  its  patriotic 
citizens  than  ever.  God  bless  you  all !  " 

After  this  reply  dinner  was  served  to  us  by 
the  ladies,  and  I  assure  you  that  every  one  en- 
joyed the  bountiful  feast  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  us. 

Many  of  the  Rouses  Point  people  as  well 
as  the  Rouses  Point  band  boys,  had  come  to 
Plattsburgh  to  welcome  us.  Of  course  I  knew 
them  all  and  it  was  a  very  pleasant  occasion 
for  me.  After  having  partaken  of  the  deli- 
cious dinner  we  were  given  our  liberty  for  the 
afternoon.  Many  of  the  boys,  including  my- 
self, took  advantage  of  the  time  off  and  at- 
tended the  county  fair,  which  was  being  held  at 
Plattsburgh  that  week.  I  went  along  with 
some  of  the  Rouses  Point  band  boys,  as  they 
were  not  to  leave  until  the  night  train.  They 
were  all  very  kind  to  me,  and  would  not  allow 


62  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

me  to  spend  any  of  my  money.  Of  course  I 
appreciated  that  very  much  because  my  funds 
were  not  very  large. 

After  an  enjoyable  time  at  the  fair  I  started 
for  the  Barracks  and  my  friends  went  to  the 
station,  where  they  were  to  leave  for  home. 

That  same  night  I  witnessed  a  beautiful 
display  of  fireworks  given  on  the  parade 
grounds.  I  did  not  stay  up  very  late,  but  re- 
tired early  that  evening,  as  I  was  completely 
tired  out  after  the  excitement  of  the  past  few 
days. 

All  of  the  recruits  who  had  enlisted  during 
the  absence  of  the  regiment  had  pitched  their 
wall  tents  on  the  parade  grounds,  and  we  oc- 
cupied the  old  and  new  quarters.  In  fact, 
everything  was  made  as  comfortable  as  possible 
because  we  needed  a  good  rest. 

In  the  meantime  some  of  my  friends  who 
knew  Captain  Bonsteel,  who  was  company 
commander,  had  asked  him  to  grant  me  a  few 
days'  leave  of  absence  to  visit  my  home  town. 
Very  shortly  thereafter  through  their  inter- 
cession and  the  aid  of  First  Sergeant  Casse- 
meyer,  I  was  granted  seven  days  leave  of  ab- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  63 

sence,  and  immediately  took  the  train  for 
Rouses  Point.  The  reception  received  by  me 
when  I  arrived  there  is  something  that  I  will 
never  forget. 

I  was  met  at  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  sta- 
tion, very  much  to  my  surprise,  by  the  home 
band,  and  the  whole  town  had  turned  out  to 
greet  me.  Mr.  Joseph  Tourville,  a  prominent 
citizen,  had  his  carriage  at  the  station  at  my 
disposal.  I  was  escorted  through  the  main 
streets,  the  band  following  and  playing  na- 
tional airs.  This  procession  continued  until  we 
reached  my  father's  store,  where  a  reception 
was  held.  I  then  received  congratulations  and 
hand-shakes  from  all  my  friends.  The  build- 
ings were  decorated  with  colored  lights,  and 
fire-works  were  prominently  and  gorgeously  in 
display.  I  can  appreciate  that  this  reception 
was  due  to  the  fact  that  there  was  much  excite- 
ment in  this  country  on  account  of  a  war  which 
seemed  to  be  important  to  the  nation,  and 
that  I  was  the  only  person  from  town  who  had 
been  engaged  in  the  Spanish- American  War. 

Alter  this  reception  at  the  store  I  went  di- 
rectly home,  being  very  tired,  where  my  dear, 


64  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

good  mother  had  prepared  an  excellent  lunch 
for  me.  I  was  not  feeling  extremely  well,  and 
did  not  eat  very  much.  It  seemed  good  to  be 
able  to  retire  in  my  own  bed  and  I  enjoyed  a 
good  night's  rest.  The  next  morning  I  was  up 
early,  and  after  eating  a  hearty  breakfast  I 
went  to  the  village  and  called  on  my  friends.  I 
was  not  allowed  to  remain  idle  very  long  be- 
cause they  kept  me  busy  answering  all  kinds  of 
questions  about  the  war.  I  remained  at  home 
only  five  days  because  I  was  not  feeling  well, 
and  continued  to  grow  worse  every  day.  I  de- 
cided to  return  to  Plattsburgh  without  any  de- 
lay, and  upon  my  return  there  I  was  taken 
to  the  Post  hospital  with  an  attack  of  malarial 
fever,  attended  by  a  very  high  temperature.  I 
had  never  been  sick  before,  but  I  certainly  was 
making  up  for  it  at  this  time.  The  hospital 
was  crowded,  and  nearly  every  bed  had  been 
taken  up  with  the  sick.  After  three  weeks  of 
excellent  care  I  commenced  to  feel  better,  and 
was  soon  well  enough  to  return  to  my  company 
for  duty. 

Up  to  this  time  the  guard  duty  had  been 
done  by  the  recruits  who  had  enlisted  to  go 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  65 

to  the  Philippines,  but  we  soon  were  all  well 
enough  to  do  our  share  of  the  guard  duty. 
During  the  rest  of  1898  and  1899  we  were  all 
kept  busy  drilling. 

Many  of  the  soldiers  took  advantage  of 
General  Order  No.  40  "  That  all  men  who  had 
enlisted  at  the  time  war  was  declared  had  the 
privilege  to  leave  the  army,"  but  I  did  not  care 
to  take  advantage  of  this  order.  I  did  not  wish 
to  take  my  discharge,  as  I  knew  that  my  regi- 
ment was  soon  to  leave  for  the  Philippines,  and 
I  was  anxious  and  willing  to  do  more  service. 
I  had  to  sign  certain  papers  declaring  my  in- 
tention to  remain  with  the  army  until  the  ex- 
piration of  my  term,  which  was  three  years, 
but  many  took  advantage  of  the  order  and  re- 
turned to  their  homes. 

During  the  winter  the  drilling  was  done  in 
the  basement  of  the  different  company  quar- 
ters. Once  a  week  we  had  a  musical  drill  at 
the  drill  hall,  the  regimental  band  furnishing 
the  music  for  the  purpose. 

On  the  22nd  day  of  February,  1899,  a 
marble  slab  which  had  been  presented  to  the 
regiment  by  the  Plattsburgh  Institute  was  in- 


66  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

laid  on  the  side  of  the  Administration  building 
at  Plattsburgh  Barracks,  on  which  was  in- 
scribed the  names  of  those  who  fell  at  Santiago 
de  Cuba,  men  who  were  in  the  21st  Infantry. 
The  ceremonies  of  the  unveiling  of  this  me- 
morial were  very  impressive,  and  largely  at- 
tended by  many  citizens  of  Plattsburgh,  as 
well  as  all  the  members  of  the  regiment.  The 
following  are  the  names  of  those  inscribed  on 
the  marble  slab:— 

.  William  Davis,  Company  A:  Fred  Weis- 
hart,  Company  A :  Edward  Plaude,  Company 
E:  Robert  McClatchey,  Company  C:  Ben- 
jamin Boling,  Company  F:  Albert  Tomkin- 
son,  Company  C : 

I  spent  a  very  pleasant  winter  at  the  Post 
before  leaving  for  the  Philippines  because  we 
had  very  little  guard  duty  to  do,  or  what  is 
termed  in  army  talk  as  "  nights  in." 


era 

I 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  67 


VII. 

ORDERED  TO   THE  PHILIPPINES. 

THE  regiment  now  numbered  about  1350 
men,  which  was  about  the  full  strength.  In 
March  1899,  word  came  that  we  were  soon  to 
leave  for  the  Far  East.  It  did  not  take  long 
for  the  news  to  spread,  but  we  were  unable  to 
ascertain  the  exact  date  that  we  might  be  ex- 
pected to  leave,  and  it  was  somewhat  of  a  sus- 
pense to  wait  for  orders. 

Most  of  the  soldiers  who  had  been  confined 
to  the  hospital  were  able  to  be  out  at  this  time. 
In  the  latter  part  of  March  we  received  official 
orders  to  leave  for  the  seat  of  the  war,  the  date 
of  our  leaving  being  set  as  April  10th,  1899. 
The  time  intervening  passed  away  very 
quickly. 

A  few  weeks  before  our  orders  came  for  our 
departure,  passes  were  issued  for  those  who 
wished  to  visit  their  homes,  especially  to  those 


68  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

who  did  not  live  far  distant  from  the  Post.  Of 
course  I  wanted  to  see  my  parents  and  friends 
again,  and  made  application  for  a  leave  of  ab- 
sence, which  was  granted  to  me.  I  remained 
about  two  days  at  home,  and  after  once  again 
bidding  farewell  to  my  people  I  returned  to 
Plattsburgh. 

When  I  returned  to  the  Barracks  only  a  few 
days  remained  to  pack  up  and  make  ready  for 
our  departure.  There  had  already  been 
placed  on  the  side  track  near  the  Post  a  freight 
train  for  our  accommodation.  On  Sunday,  the 
9th  of  April,  orders  were  given  to  load  all 
baggage  into  the  freight  train,  leaving  with  us 
only  our  knapsacks  and  haversacks.  Our 
knapsacks  were  made  of  heavy  canvas,  and 
were  suitable  for  carrying  blankets,  shoes, 
stockings,  underwear,  and  other  small  articles 
that  we  might  wish  to  have  along  with  us.  The 
haversacks  were  made  of  the  same  material  and 
about  the  same  style,  but  much  smaller.  They 
are  used  mostly  to  carry  food,  cooking  utensils, 
and  knives  and  forks.  The  knapsack  is 
carried  on  the  back  and  affixed  by  means  of 
straps  going  over  the  shoulders,  while  the 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  69 

haversack  is  placed  on  the  left  side,  supported 
by  straps,  with  a  drinking-cup  hanging  from 
the  outside. 

On  the  afternoon  of  April  10th  orders  were 
given  to  form  into  companies  and  line  up  on 
the  parade  ground  in  front  of  the  new  quarters. 
As  we  assembled  there  were  twelve  companies 
and  the  band. 

A  general  roll-call  was  then  given  to  make 
sure  that  every  one  was  present.  It  was  a  fine 
day  for  this  work,  and  it  certainly  was  a  grand 
as  well  as  a  thrilling  sight  to  see  1350  soldiers 
lined  up.  Colonel  Kline  gave  the  command 
to  march,  and  headed  by  the  band  we  proceeded 
to  the  train. 

The  following  were  the  names  of  the  officers 
of  the  21st  Infantry  when  we  left  for  the  Phil- 
ippines : 

Colonel  Jacob  Kline,  Command;  Capt.  C. 
M.  Truitt,  Adjutant;  Capt.  L.  J.  Hearn, 
Quartermaster;  Lieut.  F.  H.  Lawton,  Acting 
Commissary.  First  Battalion — Major  W.  H. 
Boyle,  Commanding;  Lieut.  Peter  Murray, 
Adjutant.  Co.  B,  Lieut.  R.  H.  Van  Deman, 
Lieut.  E.  T.  Conley.  Co.  F,  Capt.  H.  L. 


70  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

Bailey.  Co.  C,  Lieut.  J.  J.  O'Connell,  Lieut. 
W.  M.  Fassett.  Co.  L,  Lieut.  M.  M.  Weeks. 
Second  Battalion — Capt.  F.  E.  Eltonhead, 
Commanding,  Lieut.  Lutz  Wahl,  Adjutant. 
Co.  D,  Capt.  F.  E.  Elton,  Lieut.  Anton 
Springer.  Co.  K,  Lieut.  H.  Clement,  Lieut. 

E.  A.  Bumpus.    Co.  H,  Capt.  A.  L.  Parmen- 
ter,  Lieut.  J.  M.  Love,  Jr.    Co.  I,  Lieut.  W. 
H.   Mullay,   Lieut.   A.   H.   Haguet.     Third 
Battalion — Capt.  C.  H.  Bonesteel,  Command- 
ing, Lieutenant  W.   H.   Morrow,  Adjutant. 
Co.  G,  Captain  C.  Bonesteel,  Lieut.  D.  G. 
Spurgin.    Co.  M,  Capt.  J.  S.  Parke,  Jr.,  Lieut. 
C.  R.  Ramsay.     Co.  E,  Capt.  E.  W.  Mc- 
Caskey,  Lieut  P.  A.  Connolly.    Co.  A,  Lieut. 

F.  K.  Meade.     Medical  Officers— Maj  or  W. 
P.   Kendall,  Lieut.   H.   M.  Wetherill,  Asst. 
Acting  Sergeant  J.  H.  Hepburn. 

The  freight  train  had  already  pulled  out  and 
was  on  its  way.  Sleeping  coaches  had  been 
placed  at  our  disposal.  Our  train  consisted  of 
three  sections  of  Wagner  sleeping  cars.  A 
large  number  of  people  had  gathered  to  see  us 
depart,  and  again  we  experienced  one  of  the 
sad  features  of  military  life.  It  indeed  is  sad 


td 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  71 

to  see  wives,  mothers  and  sweethearts  of  soldier 
boys  bid  farewell  to  each  other.  In  many  in- 
stances it  meant  farewell  for  the  last  time. 
None  of  us  knew  whether  we  would  ever  see  the 
loved  ones  that  were  being  left  behind,  but  the 
chance  of  surviving  is  one  of  the  hazards  of 
war,  and  it  must  be  undertaken  by  one  who  is 
a  member  of  the  army. 

My  father  and  brothers  were  there  to  see  me 
off,  but  I  kept  up  my  courage  and  did  not  let 
them  notice  that  I  was  somewhat  sad. 

The  first  section  finally  started,  and  the 
other  two  followed  close  behind,  and  as  we  left 
the  people  of  Plattsburgh  again  showed  us  the 
same  spirit  of  patriotism  that  had  welcomed  us 
home  upon  our  return  from  Cuba. 

We  certainly  were  well  taken  care  of  all 
along  the  journey,  having  good  beds  and  ex- 
cellent food.  In  fact  we  were  given  oranges 
every  day,  which  was  something  new  in  army 
life. 

I  will  not  undertake  to  name  all  the  towns 
and  cities  we  stopped  at  along  the  route,  but  I 
will  name  some  of  the  larger  ones.  The  second 
section,  which  conveyed  our  company,  stopped 


72  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

for  water  at  Port  Henry,  and  then  stopped 
again  at  Whitehall,  at  which  place  I  met  my 
cousins  who  knew  that  I  was  on  the  train. 
After  a  few  minutes'  delay  at  Whitehall  for 
orders  and  change  of  engine  we  were  again  on 
our  way. 

Discipline  had  to  be  maintained  on  the  train 
as  well  as  at  the  Barracks.  We  all  had  guard 
duty  to  perform.  Food  was  given  to  us  in  our 
seats,  accompanied  by  a  hot  cup  of  good  coffee. 
Each  section  had  two  baggage  cars  where  all 
the  cooking  was  done  on  stoves  set  up  for  that 
purpose. 

When  we  reached  Jamestown,  New  York, 
on  the  following  day  the  people  there  had  gath- 
ered at  the  station  prepared  to  give  us  a  royal 
send-off.  A  fife  and  drum  corps  made  up  of 
Civil  War  Veterans  were  there  and  rendered 
appropriate  music.  The  ladies  threw  flow- 
ers and  cigarettes  to  us,  and  in  return  asked 
for  souvenirs,  such  as  buttons,  cross-guns,  etc. 
We  were  given  similar  receptions  all  along  the 
route  of  travel,  and  of  course  all  of  the  boys  en- 
joyed them,  which  seemed  to  be  a  real  novelty. 
Finally  we  reached  Chicago  and  remained 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  73 

there  five  hours.  We  did  not  know  at  what 
moment  we  might  leave,  and  that  made  it  nec- 
essary for  the  boys  to  keep  close  to  the  cars, 
thereby  depriving  us  of  a  ramble  through  the 
city.  However,  many  people  had  gathered 
near  the  train,  and  we  had  an  enjoyable  time 
jollying  with  them.  They  were  all  very  nice  to 
us.  The  next  place  of  importance  reached  by 
our  train  was  the  city  of  Omaha,  Nebraska. 
When  we  reached  there  the  weather  was  con- 
siderably warmer,  and  it  was  somewhat  uncom- 
fortable in  the  coaches.  The  evenings  were 
very  cool.  Cheyenne  was  the  next  large  town 
that  we  came  to.  Here  the  soldiers  were  al- 
lowed to  leave  the  train  for  a  few  hours.  I  took 
advantage  of  the  time  for  the  purpose  of  send- 
ing postal  cards  home.  At  the  store  where  I 
bought  the  postals  I  offered  in  payment  a  Ca- 
nadian bill,  which  is  very  common  to  people  of 
northern  New  York.  I  was  greatly  amazed 
when  the  clerk  refused  to  accept  it,  saying  that 
he  had  never  seen  such  a  bill  before,  and  be- 
lieved that  it  was  no  good.  However,  another 
person  in  the  store  overheard  the  conversation, 
and  advised  me  to  go  across  to  a  national  bank, 


74  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

which  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and 
there  my  money  would  be  exchanged.  I  fol- 
lowed the  suggestion,  and  was  charged  10  per 
cent  discount  for  the  exchange. 

Fortunately  for  us  we  reached  most  of  the 
large  cities  and  towns  in  the  daytime,  and 
thereby  it  made  the  journey  much  pleasanter. 
It  was  somewhat  tedious  and  lonesome  passing 
across  the  prairies  where  nothing  could  be  seen 
but  sand,  which  blew  through  the  car  windows, 
and  made  the  travel  unpleasant  and  dirty. 

Then  we  came  to  the  "  Thousand  Mile 
Tree  "  which  tourists  always  look  for  on  the 
way.  Entering  the  first  narrows  of  the  canyon 
the  "  Thousand  Mile  Tree  "  is  passed,  a  thrifty 
branching  pine,  bearing  on  its  trunk  a  sign- 
board, which  tells  the  western  bound  traveller 
that  he  has  passed  over  one  thousand  miles  of 
railway  from  Omaha. 

This  living  milestone  of  Xature's  planting 
has  long  marked  this  place.  It  stood  there  for 
years  before  the  hardy  Mormons  passed  down 
this  wild  gorge.  Below  this  tree  the  cars  cross 
a  trestle  bridge  to  the  left  banks  of  the  Weber. 
Thence  we  proceeded  down  a  short  distance 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  75 

and  again  crossed  another  trestle  bridge  to  the 
right-hand  side.  Almost  opposite  the  bridge 
on  the  side  of  the  mountains  to  the  left  can  be 
seen  the  Devil's  Slide,  or  serrated  rocks.  This 
slide  is  composed  of  two  granite  rocks,  reach- 
ing from  the  river  nearly  to  the  summit  of  a 
sloping  grass-clad  mountain.  These  slabs  are 
narrow,  standing  on  edge  as  though  forced  out 
of  the  mountain  side,  and  are  from  fifty  to  two 
hundred  feet  high.  The  two  edges  run  parallel 
with  each  other,  about  ten  feet  apart,  the  space 
between  being  covered  with  grass,  wild  flowers 
and  climbing  vines.  1  had  often  heard  of  the 
Devil's  Slide,  but  was  surprised  to  see  how 
even  these  rocks  run  alongside  of  each  other. 
As  the  train  was  not  moving  very  rapidly  I 
was  given  a  better  opportunity  of  observing 
somewhat  closely  these  points  of  interest. 

We  then  came  to  the  Sierra  Nevada  Moun- 
tains, where  our  train  passed  through  forty 
miles  of  continuous  snow  sheds.  The  roof  of 
these  snow  sheds  was  covered  with  snow  most 
of  the  time.  Riding  through  these  sheds  was 
not  very  pleasant  because  the  track  was  partly 
covered  with  water,  which  came  from  the  melt- 


7$  REMINISCENCES  OP  THE 

ing  snow,  and  thereby  made  it  very  damp  and 
chilly.  In  fact,  I  caught  a  slight  cold,  but  it 
was  only  of  short  duration. 

However,  the  scenery  soon  changed,  for  it 
did  not  take  long  to  reach  California  where 
everything  was  in  bloom.  As  our  train  passed 
along  on  a  very  high  elevation  we  could  look 
down  into  the  valley  below  and  see  for  miles 
around.  Everything  seemed  to  be  in  blossom, 
and  was  much  in  contrast  to  what  we  had  just 
passed  through. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  77 


VIII. 

ARRIVAL  AT  MANILA. 

ARRIVING  at  Oakland,  which  is  just  across 
from  San  Francisco,  our  train  was  run  to  the 
railroad  ferry,  and  then  taken  to  the  city. 
Our  trip  on  the  water  was  of  short  duration. 
When  we  arrived  there  a  large  crowd  of  people 
with  several  bands  met  and  escorted  us  to  the 
wharf  where  the  transport  "  Hancock "  lay. 
This  was  the  ship  on  which  we  were  to  sail  for 
the  Philippines.  As  we  had  to  stay  here  over 
night  many  of  the  soldiers  changed  their  minds 
of  a  sudden  and  deserted  on  account  of  home- 
sickness. This  form  of  sickness  is  of  very  com- 
mon occurrence  among  recruits. 

The  freight  train  that  had  left  Plattsburgh 
a  day  ahead  of  us,  carrying  all  the  baggage, 
had  already  been  unloaded  at  the  wharf,  and 
lay  alongside  of  the  transport.  All  this  bag- 
gage had  to  be  loaded  on  the  boat  by  the  sol- 


78  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

diers.  This  was  somewhat  of  a  difficult  task,  at 
least  I  thought  so,  and  we  worked  hard  until 
four  o'clock  the  next  day  to  accomplish  this 
work.  Some  of  the  boys  went  out  for  a  good 
time  that  night  and  came  back  not  feeling  very 
well.  As  for  myself,  I  stayed  on  board  and 
had  a  good  rest.  I  had  often  read  about  the 
wonderful  climate  of  California,  and  it  cer- 
tainly is  great. 

The  "  Hancock  "  was  complete  with  all  its 
crew  and  freight,  and  the  regiment  was  now 
ready  to  sail.  We  started  out  of  the  harbor  on 
the  morning  of  April  17th  at  about  eight 
o'clock.  Our  band  was  playing  "  My  Country 
'Tis  of  Thee,"  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  beautiful 
country  we  were  leaving  behind.  As  we  passed 
on  through  the  "  Golden  Gate "  onto  the 
deep  blue  sea,  whose  mysteries  were  strange  to 
us,  and  took  a  last  glance  of  the  country  that 
was  so  dear  to  each  and  every  one  of  us,  our 
feelings  gave  way  to  tears.  We  did  not  know 
but  what  we  were  going  to  "  that  land  from 
which  no  traveller  e'er  returns." 

The  "  Hancock  "  was  at  that  time  the  fastest 
transport  in  the  service.  Her  speed  was  from 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  70 

seventeen  to  nineteen  knots  per  hour.  Her 
length  was  about  four  hundred  and  eight  feet, 
and  when  she  left  San  Francisco  there  were  on 
board  1660  men.  It  was  somewhat  crowded, 
but  each  company  was  allotted  a  small  space 
on  the  deck.  At  meal  times  we  all  had  to  line 
up  and  pass  the  kitchen,  where  we  received  our 
rations.  Some  of  the  soldiers  found  fault  with 
the  food,  but  I  thought  it  was  very  good  con- 
sidering all  of  the  conditions.  The  drinking 
water  was  bad  on  account  of  it  being  con- 
densed, and  placed  in  metal  tanks  on  the  decks 
where  it  was  exposed  to  the  hot  sun.  The 
water  seemed  to  taste  oily.  But  with  all  of 
these  discomforts  we  enjoyed  ourselves,  as  the 
band  gave  concerts  on  the  upper  deck  every 
night  that  the  weather  would  permit.  We  also 
had  drilling  every  day,  which  gave  us  some 
excitement. 

The  sea  was  rather  rough  in  some  places,  and 
it  was  amusing  to  watch  some  of  the  boys 
scramble  when  the  high  waves  would  wash  over 
the  decks.  Every  day  we  would  take  shower 
baths,  so  we  kept  ourselves  clean  at  least.  The 
berths  were  arranged  below  the  decks  in  tiers 


80  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

of  three  high  and  two  wide.  The  bottoms  were 
made  of  heavy  canvas,  on  which  we  also  used 
our  blankets  and  a  pillow,  which  made  a  very 
comfortable  bed. 

After  we  had  been  sailing  for  about  five  days 
the  engines  of  the  transport  got  out  of  order 
and  we  were  obliged  to  stop  for  repairs,  which 
delayed  us  some  time.  As  the  seas  were  run- 
ning very  high  at  the  time  it  made  it  some- 
what unpleasant  for  a  while.  The  wind  soon 
went  down  and  everything  became  quiet  and 
calm. 

Some  of  the  boys  had  great  sport  fishing  for 
sharks.  Most  always  sharks  follow  a  ship  at 
sea.  Fishing  for  sharks  is  accomplished  by 
placing  a  large  piece  of  meat  on  a  large  hook, 
such  as  are  used  in  butcher  shops  to  hang  meat 
on.  To  this  hook  a  long  rope  is  attached, 
which  answers  as  a  line.  Then  the  meat  and 
hook  are  thrown  overboard  into  the  sea. 

Shortly  after  we  had  done  this  we  felt  some 
tugging,  and  noticed  that  the  rope  was  tighten- 
ing. Sure  enough  a  huge  shark  had  swal- 
lowed the  hook,  meat  and  all,  and  it  certainly 
did  pull.  It  was  no  easy  task  to  haul  it  on 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  81 

deck  on  account  of  its  heavy  weight,  but  with 
the  aid  of  several  soldiers  we  finally  succeeded 
in  landing  it.  We  had  to  take  a  turn  around 
the  mast  with  the  rope  and  pull  gradually.  At 
last  we  succeeded  in  landing  it  on  deck.  It 
measured  nine  feet  long  and  weighed  about 
four  hundred  pounds.  Our  next  trouble  was 
experienced  in  killing  the  shark.  This  was  ac- 
complished by  cutting  off  a  part  of  the  tail, 
which  caused  it  to  bleed  to  death.  The  meat 
is  riot  considered  good  to  eat,  but  the  Chinamen 
who  were  employed  on  the  transport,  seemed 
to  like  it  and  ate  it  with  much  relish.  The 
joints  in  the  small  part  of  the  tail  were  taken 
out,  and  we  cut  small  rings  from  them  with 
little  work.  We  sent  them  home  as  souvenirs 
of  a  shark  which  we  had  killed  at  sea.  That 
same  day  we  caught  another  shark  in  the  same 
manner,  but  the  second  one  was  not  quite  as 
large  as  the  first.  While  this  shark  fishing  was 
going  on  our  engines  had  been  repaired,  and 
were  again  in  working  order.  Once  more  we 
started  on  our  long  voyage,  but  our  boat  had 
drifted  out  of  its  course  during  the  day,  and 
made  the  route  somewhat  more  distant. 


82  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

Some  of  our  boys  had  been  taken  sick  with 
fever  and  other  diseases,  and  we  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  two  soldiers  on  the  way  over. 
One  was  a  member  of  Company  E  and  the 
other  a  fellow  by  the  name  of  Joseph  Chevalier, 
who  died  of  brain  fever.  I  have  heard  since 
that  he  was  a  relative  of  Mr.  Chevalier,  who 
was  at  one  time  Superintendent  of  the  Ogdens- 
burg  &  Lake  Champlain  Railroad  Company. 
The  ceremonies  at  the  burial  of  these  two  were 
very  impressive.  As  the  transport  was  not 
equipped  for  keeping  the  dead  at  that  time, 
the  bodies  had  to  be  thrown  overboard. 

At  the  burial  the  ship  came  to  a  full  stop, 
and  the  bodies  one  by  one  were  placed  on  the 
lower  deck  with  weights  attached  to  their  legs. 
Each  body  was  wrapped  in  canvas,  tightly 
fastened,  and  then  was  placed  on  a  wide  board 
and  taken  to  the  side  of  the  boat  with  the  feet 
facing  outward  towards  the  water.  An  Ameri- 
can flag  was  also  placed  over  them.  The  cap- 
tain then  read  a  few  verses  from  the  Bible  and 
a  prayer  was  offered,  and  after  these  solemn 
services  were  over,  the  bodies  were  slid  from 
under  the  American  flag  into  the  water.  As 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  83 

the  bodies  struck  the  water  hundreds  of  sharks 
could  he  seen  about  the  place  where  the  bodies 
fell.  The  effect  on  the  soldiers  was  very 
marked,  and  many  of  the  men  and  officers  shed 
tears  at  the  burial. 

The  route  to  the  Philippines  was  much 
shorter  than  the  other  boats  had  taken  because 
we  did  not  go  by  way  of  Honolulu,  but  took  a 
much  more  direct  course.  This  did  not  please 
the  boys  very  much  because  they  wanted  to  see 
the  beautiful  island  of  Hawaii. 

An  interesting  fact  that  was  called  to  our  at- 
tention on  the  way  over  was  the  international 
boundary  line  which  marks  the  change  of  time, 
and  makes  a  difference  of  one  day  in  going  to 
the  Philippines. 

On  the  way  over  I  saw  several  whales  from 
a  distance.  It  certainly  is  a  grand  sight  to 
see  these  huge  fish  swish  about  in  the  water. 

After  we  had  been  about  fifteen  days  at  sea 
our  attention  was  called  to  the  group  of  Bonin 
Islands,  one  of  which  is  an  enormous  rock,  ris- 
ing from  the  sea  at  an  angle  of  about  seventy 
degrees.  It  is  said  to  be  about  2800  feet  in 
height.  At  a  distance  of  about  sixty  miles  we 


84  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

could  plainly  see  it,  but  the  nearest  that  our 
ship  got  to  this  rock  was  seven  miles.  My  at- 
tention was  attracted  mostly  to  the  sun  setting 
just  behind  the  rock.  The  sun  was  red  and 
showed  its  different  colors  on  the  huge  rock, 
making  a  very  picturesque  sight. 

At  last  we  arrived  at  Manila  Bay  on  the 
13th  day  of  May,  which  was  just  one  year  from 
the  date  of  my  enlistment.  As  we  entered  the 
harbor  I  noticed  Correggidor  Island  and  the 
large  Spanish  guns  that  Admiral  Dewey  had 
silenced  with  his  fleet  during  the  battle  of 
Manila  Bay.  Correggidor  Island  is  very  high 
and  precipitous,  lying  one  mile  from  shore  and 
directly  in  the  mouth  of  the  entrance  to  the 
Bay.  This  entrance  is  about  six  miles  wide, 
and  the  island  in  some  places  rises  to  a 
height  of  about  six  hundred  feet.  Crown- 
ing the  crest  was  a  modern  battery  of  big 
Krupp  guns  that  were  stated  to  be  the  best 
ship  destroyers  in  the  world.  Five  miles 
across  in  the  mainland  is  the  rock  mounted 
battery  of  El  Fraile,  and  at  a  distance  we 
could  see  the  city  of  Manila  from  the  harbor. 
The  buildings  and  the  people  in  small  fish- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  85 

ing  boats  around  the  Bay  all  seemed  strange 
to  us,  and  it  was  so  much  different  than 
what  1  had  witnessed  in  Cuba,  and  of  course 
these  scenes  had  a  queer  impression  on  me. 

To  the  right  of  us  as  we  proceeded  into  the 
harbor  I  could  see  the  town  of  Cavite,  at  which 
place  there  was  a  dry  dock  for  the  repair  of 
ships.  A  large  arsenal  was  also  built  at  this 
place. 

We  were  all  anxious  to  land,  for  the  voyage 
had  been  so  long,  and  most  of  the  boys  had  had 
a  touch  of  sickness.  I  had  also  suffered  some- 
what from  sickness  on  the  way  over. 

The  "  Hancock  "  had  to  anchor  in  the  Bay, 
as  it  was  too  large  to  come  alongside  the  docks 
of  Pasig  River.  The  Pasig  River  was  filled 
with  steamers  that  plied  between  Oriental 
ports.  This  river  is  only  of  moderate  depth, 
and  was  constantly  choked  with  small  craft, 
and  larger  ships  were  compelled  to  discharge 
and  load  on  the  bay. 

While  we  were  there  in  the  harbor  waiting 
for  the  cascoes  to  take  us  ashore  we  could  easily 
see  the  Spanish  gun-boats  that  had  been  sunk 
by  Dewey's  fleet,  the  "  Costella,"  "  Don  Juan 


86  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

de  Austria,"  "  Don  Antonia  de  Ulloa,"  "  Isle 
de  Cuba,"  "  El  Cano,"  "  Isle  de  Luzon,"  which 
was  raised  later  on,  and  the  flag-ship  "  Reina 
Cristina."  All  of  these  ships  lay  at  the  bottom 
of  the  Bay  and  only  the  stacks  and  masts  could 
be  seen,  while  others  that  had  been  sunk  nearer 
the  shore  exhibited  part  of  their  hulls.  Xot 
far  from  our  transport  was  anchored  Dewey's 
fleet  of  warships.  These  were  the  ships  that 
had  silenced  the  guns  of  Correggidor  Island, 
and  destroyed  the  Spanish  fleet. 

The  soldiers  all  had  to  be  taken  on  cascoes 
and  towed  by  steamboats  ashore,  and  were 
finally  landed  in  the  city  of  Manila.  Here  we 
had  a  good  view  of  the  entrance  to  the  Pasig 
River.  We  proceeded  directly  to  the  lunetta, 
which  we  in  English  would  call  a  park.  This 
faced  the  harbor,  and  the  location  could  not  be 
improved  upon.  As  the  day  was  beautiful  we 
enjoyed  pitching  our  camp. 

Before  retiring  that  night  I  heard  some  one 
singing  and  playing  a  piano,  and  as  the  build- 
ing where  the  music  came  from  was  not  far 
from  the  camp  I  ventured  near,  and  saw  that 
it  was  a  Spanish  lady  singing  in  Spanish.  Of 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  87 

course  I  could  not  understand  the  words,  but 
the  music  and  singing  was  sweet  and  cheerful. 
Many  of  the  boys  listened  to  it  with  great  at- 
tention. It  made  us  all  think  of  home. 

After  listening  to  the  music  for  some  time 
we  proceeded  to  return  to  our  camping  place, 
and  made  our  beds  on  the  ground  with  our 
blankets.  We  were  all  very  tired,  and  it  did 
not  take  long  for  us  to  fall  asleep.  The  next 
morning  we  were  up  and  around  at  an  early 
hour  because  we  wanted  to  go  about  the  city 
and  see  things,  but  much  to  our  regret  we  were 
not  allowed  to  leave  the  camp,  as  the  com- 
manding officer  did  not  know  at  what  moment 
we  would  receive  orders  to  leave. 


88  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


IX. 

AT  EL   DEPOSOTO. 

MOST  of  the  volunteer  regiments  that  had 
been  in  the  Philippines  and  that  had  done 
much  fighting  and  seen  hard  service  received 
orders  to  leave.  They  were  to  be  replaced  by 
regulars.  Our  regiment  was  then  furnished 
with  water  buffaloes  and  carts,  together  with 
six  Chinamen  to  every  company.  These  Chin- 
amen took  charge  of  transporting  all  of  the 
baggage  from  one  camp  to  another,  and  also 
carried  along  our  provisions. 

From  the  "  Lunetta  "  we  marched  on  four 
miles  to  a  place  called  El  Deposoto.  The  road 
was  very  bad,  and  it  being  an  exceptionally  hot 
day,  it  was  very  tiresome  walking.  Some  of 
the  soldiers  who  were  new  members  of  the  com- 
pany had  forgotten  to  fill  their  canteens  before 
they  left,  and  soon  felt  the  want  of  water.  We 
were  told  by  the  officers  to  deprive  ourselves  of 


fid 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  89 

a  little  water  so  that  what  we  had  would  last 
us  until  we  reached  El  Deposoto.  We  arrived 
there  at  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon, 
and  immediately  quenched  our  thirst.  We 
had  all  the  water  that  we  could  drink,  as  there 
was  plenty  of  the  sparkling  fluid  there  for  all 
of  us.  At  this  place  we  relieved  the  24th  In- 
fantry, which  was  a  colored  regiment. 

The  building  at  El  Deposoto  is  a  large  two- 
story  structure,  facing  the  road,  with  a  wide 
veranda  in  front  running  the  whole  length.  It 
was  shaped  like  most  of  the  Spanish  buildings, 
and  from  its  appearance  looked  very  ancient. 
It  was  built  of  stone,  and  at  the  rear  of  the 
building  there  was  about  ten  acres  of  land  with 
numerous  subterranean  tunnels,  about  seven 
or  eight  feet  in  height.  These  tunnels  were 
made  of  cement,  and  were  always  filled  with 
water  furnished  through  pipes  from  the  pump- 
ing station  located  four  miles  away,  at  the 
Mariquina  River.  This  was  reserved  water 
for  the  city  of  Manila.  Every  few  feet  apart 
openings  were  made  at  the  top  of  these  tun- 
nels, and  stone  stairs  led  to  the  water's  edge 
underground,  at  the  end  of  which  were  iron 


90  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

gates.  One  could  stand  at  the  bottom  of  these 
stairs  and  see  the  water  in  these  underground 
canals.  This  water  was  very  cool  and  clear. 

To  the  right  of  this  building  was  a  beautiful 
garden  of  flowers,  all  fenced  in  by  a  high  iron 
fence.  The  fragrance  from  the  flowers  was 
carried  quite  a  distance  about,  which  made  the 
air  sweet  scented. 

Our  camp  at  this  place  was  very  good,  but 
the  guard  and  patrol  duty  was  exceedingly 
difficult.  It  was  located  not  far  from  an  old 
Catholic  Church,  which  was  occupied  by  a  vol- 
unteer regiment.  At  the  rear  of  this  church 
was  a  graveyard  with  vaults  made  of  very  thick 
sealed  walls.  Some  of  the  soldiers  had  broken 
the  seals,  and  exposed  some  of  the  bodies  that 
had  not  been  there  very  long,  and  the  odor  that 
came  from  them  was  altogether  unpleasant. 
Not  only  was  the  odor  unpleasant,  but  we  were 
in  danger  of  having  disease  spread  among  us, 
and  this  compelled  us  to  cover  the  bodies. 

Every  night  thirty-four  privates  and  four 
non-commissioned  officers  mounted  guard 
duty.  This  gave  us  only  one  night  in. 

On  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  May  Com- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  91 

pany  E  of  the  21st  Infantry,  which  had  been 
guarding  the  rear  of  El  Deposoto  near  the 
Mariquina  road,  was  attacked  by  a  small 
band  of  Insurgents.  Our  boys  responded  to 
the  fire,  and  the  attacking  party  was  soon 
driven  away.  Plow  these  Insurgents  managed 
to  sneak  through  the  lines  is  still  a  mystery. 
During  this  attack  one  of  our  soldiers  was 
wounded  in  the  hip.  The  bullet  struck  his 
bayonet  which  hung  at  his  side,  and  shattered 
the  wooden  and  metal  parts  of  the  bayonet,  so 
that  an  ugly  but  not  a  fatal  wound  was  made. 
Altogether  the  firing  did  not  last  over  twenty 
minutes. 

The  water  works  I  have  mentioned  were  lo- 
cated about  four  miles  from  El  Deposoto,  and 
the  road  between  these  two  places  had  to  be 
guarded  by  means  of  patrol  during  the  night. 
Our  regiment  covered  one-half  of  the  distance 
and  the  Wyoming  Volunteer  Regiment  the  re- 
maining distance.  The  pipe  which  furnished 
the  water  to  the  depository  lay  on  top  of  the 
ground  from  the  water  works  to  the  Deposoto, 
and  the  duty  of  the  patrol  was  to  keep  a  close 
lookout  so  that  the  pipe  line  would  not  be 


92  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

broken  by  insurgents.  Of  course  this  pipe  line 
had  to  be  guarded  during  the  day  as  well  as  at 
night. 

I  will  endeavor  to  explain  the  manner  in 
which  this  pipe  line  was  guarded.  Four  pri- 
vates would  start  out  at  the  same  time  from 
each  end  of  the  route,  two  from  the  21st  In- 
fantry and  the  same  number  from  the  Wyo- 
ming Regiment,  keeping  about  ten  feet  apart. 
The  patrol  who  arrived  first  at  what  had  been 
marked  as  the  meeting-place  had  to  wait  for 
the  others  to  arrive,  and  then  a  report  was 
made  as  to  whether  or  not  everything  was  clear. 

Before  we  arrived  at  our  meeting-place  on 
the  patrol  line  we  had  to  cross  San  Juan 
Bridge,  from  which  the  first  shot  from  the 
Americans  was  fired  by  Private  Grayson  of 
the  Nebraska  Regiment  of  Volunteers.  His 
shot  was  returned  by  a  volley  from  the  insur- 
gents' outpost  of  this  place.  It  was  this  firing 
which  set  the  ball  rolling.  This  occurred  on 
the  night  of  February  4th,  1899. 

A  short  distance  away  on  top  of  a  small  hill 
was  an  old  powder  mill,  which  the  Spaniards 
operated  before  the  war.  The  San  Juan 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  93 

Bridge  was  not  very  large,  and  crossed  a  small 
creek  which  was  the  principal  watering  place 
for  the  carabos  on  the  way  from  Manila  to  the 
water-works. 

The  pipe  line  ran  on  top  of  the  bridge,  as 
you  will  notice  by  the  accompanying  cut. 

Some  may  not  understand  how  the  patrol  at 
each  end  could  start  at  the  same  time.  A  tele- 
graph line  had  been  laid  from  General  Hall's 
quarters  at  Deposoto  to  the  water  works,  and 
by  the  use  of  this  line  they  would  know  just  at 
what  time  we  would  leave.  In  about  fifteen 
minutes  thereafter  two  more  men  would  leave, 
so  that  twelve  men  were  always  on  the  road. 

While  I  was  on  this  patrol  duty  a  few  nights 
after  our  arrival  a  very  funny  incident  oc- 
curred. I  was  about  one  mile  from  camp  with 
my  companion  in  arms.  He  was  walking 
about  ten  feet  to  the  rear.  Suddenly  I  was 
halted  by  him,  and  he  called  my  attention  to 
what  appeared  to  be  a  Filipino  hiding  in  one 
of  the  banana  trees  alongside  of  the  road.  The 
wind  was  blowing  very  lightly,  the  moon  was 
clouded  a  little,  and  things  were  not  as  bright 
as  they  might  be.  As  soon  as  my  eyes  saw  this 


94  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

supposed  man  in  the  tree  I  immediately 
crouched,  bringing  my  rifle  in  position  to  fire, 
and  kept  on  walking.  We  hid  ourselves  as 
much  as  possible  on  the  side  of  the  road,  and 
when  within  a  few  feet  of  the  tree  I  discovered 
that  it  was  only  the  leaves  stirring  back  and 
forth  on  account  of  the  wind.  Xo  Filipino  was 
there.  By  this  you  can  easily  understand  just 
how  we  had  to  be  constantly  on  guard.  When 
we  arrived  back  to  the  camp  I  related  the  ex- 
perience to  the  boys,  who  were  greatly  amused, 
and  they  all  had  a  good  laugh  at  my  compan- 
ion as  well  as  myself. 

One  day  we  received  the  news  that  Admiral 
Dewey  was  going  to  visit  the  water  works,  and 
of  course  we  were  all  anxious  to  see  him,  as  he 
was  soon  to  leave  for  the  States. 

In  a  few  days  this  report  was  found  to  be 
true,  when  we  noticed  a  carriage  coming  up  the 
road.  It  was  something  new  to  see  a  carriage 
at  this  place,  and  we  felt  sure  that  it  was  the 
Admiral.  We  were  correct  in  our  belief  be- 
cause in  a  few  minutes  the  carriage  stopped, 
and  out  stepped  the  "  Hero  of  Manila  Bay." 
He  had  come  to  make  a  call  on  Brigadier  Gen- 


C 
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3 

a 

2. 
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« 

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rj 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  95 

eral  Hall.  We  were  called  to  order  and  pre- 
sented arms.  I  had  an  opportunity  of  getting 
a  good  look  at  Admiral  Dewey.  His  appear- 
ance did  not  indicate  that  he  was  very  well. 
No  doubt  this  was  due  to  the  fact  that  he  had 
been  doing  some  hard  work. 

At  night  when  we  were  not  on  guard  duty 
we  would  pass  away  the  time  reading  by 
candle-light.  One  candle  was  allowed  to  each 
tent,  and  this  had  to  last  three  days.  Some  of 
the  boys  were  good  singers,  and  occasionally 
we  were  entertained  with  songs. 

It  was  while  at  Deposoto  that  Lieutenant 
Spurgin  of  my  company  received  the  sad  cable- 
gram that  his  wife  had  died  at  Plattsburgh, 
New  York.  I  was  walking  post  that  night, 
and  had  to  go  by  his  tent  several  times.  On  one 
occasion  as  I  was  passing  by  some  one  spoke 
my  name,  and  turning  around  I  saw  Lieuten- 
ant Spurgin.  As  I  approached  him  he  asked 
me  to  give  him  a  drink  of  water  from  my  can- 
teen. I  quickly  complied  with  his  request.  It 
certainly  was  pitiful  to  see  him.  He  was  tak- 
ing his  loss  very  much  to  heart,  and  the  sol- 
diers were  verv  much  affected  bv  the  sad  oc- 


96  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

casion  which  had  befallen  him.  This  lieuten- 
ant was  very  popular  with  the  men  under  him 
because  he  was  very  kind  and  thoughtful  for 
their  welfare,  and  had  shown  his  kindness  of 
heart  throughout  the  Cuban  campaign. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May  we  received  orders 
to  move  on  to  the  water  works  and  relieve  the 
regiment  that  had  been  doing  hard  duty  at 
that  point  for  two  months  past.  They  were 
certainly  a  happy  bunch  when  it  was  an- 
nounced to  them  that  the  21st  was  to  relieve 
them.  At  this  time  the  volunteers  were  all 
leaving  the  Island,  much  to  their  satisfaction 
and  pleasure.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be 
given  to  the  volunteers  for  they  proved  them- 
selves to  be  good  soldiers.  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  knowing  some  of  them  very  intimately,  and 
they  proved  to  be  true  friends.  As  their  regi- 
ment left  the  camp  we  gave  them  a  good  send- 
off. 

In  July  we  marched  to  the  water  works,  or 
pumping  station  as  it  was  called,  eight  miles 
from  the  city  of  Manila.  The  Mariquina 
River,  from  which  the  city  was  supplied  with 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  97 

water,  was  only  four  hundred  yards  from 
where  we  pitched  our  tents.  Our  camp  was 
located  on  an  elevation  which  was  higher  than 
the  pumping  station,  and  we  could  easily  look 
over  the  Mariquina  valley,  which  extended  four 
miles  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  At  night 
we  could  see  the  insurgents  signalling  to  each 
other  by  means  of  lights  at  different  places 
along  the  foot  of  these  mountains.  By  means 
of  these  lights  they  could  locate  each  other 
along  their  lines.  This  was  done  along  their 
lines  for  several  miles. 

Rice  fields  could  be  seen  all  through  the  val- 
ley for  a  great  distance.  The  fields  were  not 
cultivated  at  this  particular  time,  but  were 
flooded  with  water. 

To  the  left  of  the  pumping  station  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river  lay  the  town  of  San 
Mateo.  It  could  easily  be  seen  from  the  camp. 

The  guard  duty  which  we  had  to  do  here  was 
much  different  than  what  we  had  been  doing  at 
El  Deposoto.  We  had  to  be  more  diligent 
because  we  were  on  the  line.  Two  guns  of  the 
Third  Artillery  were  placed  close  to  a  block- 
house, thus  making  a  fortified  stronghold. 


98  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

There  was  not  much  danger  of  the  enemy  mak- 
ing an  attack  on  us  because  their  main  force 
was  fighting  on  the  north  side  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Pio  Del  Pelar.  But  as  it 
would  only  have  taken  a  few  insurgents  to  de- 
stroy the  water  plant,  it  became  necessary  to 
have  this  well  guarded. 

We  all  had  picket  duty  to  do,  and  this  duty 
was  extended  all  along  the  line  in  front  of  the 
camp.  In  my  opinion  the  hardest  duty  we  had 
was  the  visiting  patrol.  Every  post  had  from 
three  to  four  pickets,  now  a  visiting  patrol, 
who  would  start  out  every  hour  to  these  differ- 
ent posts  to  see  if  all  was  well.  Of  course  this 
wrork  had  to  be  done  at  night  as  well  as  in  the 
daytime,  and  it  was  no  fun  to  find  these  posts 
in  the  dark.  On  one  occasion  I  lost  my  way 
and  it  was  only  after  some  wandering  that  I 
came  to  the  main  road,  and  heard  the  guard 
walking  back  and  forth. 

All  of  the  companies  of  the  regiment  did  not 
go  to  the  water  works.  Companies  C,  D,  E, 
H,  I  and  K  were  sent  to  Calamba,  where  they 
had  already  been  engaged  in  several  battles 
with  the  insurgents. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  99 

While  I  was  at  this  camp  I  wrote  several 
letters  home  to  my  anxious  parents  and  friends, 
giving  them  all  the  news.  I  knew  that  they 
would  be  glad  to  hear  from  me. 


100  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


X. 


BATTLE  AT   CALAMBA. 

Ox  the  fourth  day  of  August  seventy-eight 
men  of  Company  G  of  the  21st  Infantry  and 
forty  men  from  the  4th  Cavalry  started  on  a 

«/  •/ 

hike  to  a  town  called  Tyatya,  located  eight 
miles  across  the  Mariquina  River.  We  took 
with  us  two  days'  food  supply,  as  we  did  not 
know  how  long  it  would  be  before  we  came 
back  to  camp.  It  was  expected  that  any  mo- 
ment we  might  engage  the  enemy  because  they 
had  already  made  several  attacks  on  one  of 
our  battalions  at  Morong,  four  miles  south  of 
Tyatya. 

An  advance  guard  was  sent  ahead  of  the 
main  body  about  two  hundred  yards  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  a  close  lookout.  This  en- 
abled us  to  be  ready  for  any  attack  that  might 
be  made. 

We  reached  the  town  late  in  the  afternoon 


3 
"* 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  101 

of  the  same  day  without  coming  in  contact  with 
the  insurgents.  We  were  compelled  to  march 
through  rice  fields,  and  as  they  were  mostly 
covered  with  water,  we  became  drenching  wet, 
but  as  the  sun  was  very  hot  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore our  clothes  were  dry. 

At  this  place  we  rested,  boiled  some  coffee, 
and  had  a  good  dinner.  We  bought  fruit  from 
the  natives  who  seemed  to  be  friendly  to  us.  It 
was  not  good  policy  to  trust  the  natives  too 
much  because  some  of  our  soldiers  had  found 
arms  hidden  in  their  homes. 

After  examining  the  town  and  surroundings 
we  started  back  to  the  water  works,  taking  a 
different  route.  Of  course  everything  was 
rather  quiet  around  our  camp,  as  the  greater 
part  of  the  fighting  was  at  Calamba,  which  was 
held  by  Volunteers  and  Companies  of  the  21st 
Infantry. 

In  a  few  days  another  effort  was  made  to 
locate  the  Filipinos.  It  was  decided  to  march 
on  to  San  Mateo,  which  was  three  miles  across 
the  river  to  the  left  of  us.  A  few  days  before 
this  hike  some  of  the  soldiers  ventured  near  this 
place  and  were  killed.  I  was  not  called  upon 


102  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

to  take  part  in  this  expedition,  but  several 
members  of  my  company  were.  Those  who 
did  not  take  part  in  the  hike  had  to  guard  the 
camp.  This  expedition  consisted  of  the  follow- 
ing: four  Troops  of  the  4th  Cavalry,  four  Com- 
panies of  the  21st  Infantry,  two  Companies  of 
the  29th  Infantry,  and  three  Companies  of  the 
25th  Colored  Infantry.  Although  some  of  the 
boys  had  been  killed  at  San  Mateo,  it  was  not 
expected  that  a  pitched  battle  would  be  fought. 

Our  troops  had  arrived  to  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  village  when  they  were  fired  upon, 
and  immediately  a  pitched  battle  took  place. 
We  could  easily  hear  the  firing,  and  located 
the  place  where  they  were  fighting  because  the 
smoke  could  easily  be  seen  from  our  camp  over- 
looking the  valley. 

We  heard  afterwards  that  the  insurgents 
had  made  ready  for  an  attack,  and  gathered 
a  large  force  there,  which  outnumbered  the 
Americans.  As  our  men  had  to  advance  in  the 
open  they  could  easily  be  seen.  Five  were 
killed  and  several  wounded.  The  Filipinos 
were  driven  out  of  the  town,  but  our  soldiers 
had  to  return  as  we  had  no  reinforcements,  and 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  103 

of  course  the  water  works  were  of  more  im- 
portance. 

Another  order  was  then  received  on  August 
15th  to  proceed  to  Manila,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing day  we  again  broke  camp  and  started  on 
the  eight  mile  hike.  We  arrived  there  that 
night,  but  did  not  remain  in  the  city  very  long. 
We  were  taken  on  a  train  to  Beguire,  a  very 
small  village  twenty-five  miles  away  on  the 
Manila  &  Dagupan  Railroad.  At  that  place 
we  relieved  the  16th  Infantry. 

Each  one  was  given  two  hundred  rounds  of 
ammunition,  with  orders  to  hold  the  place. 
Upon  arriving  there  we  found  the  place  de- 
serted, and  after  guarding  the  town  all  night 
without  encountering  the  enemy,  we  returned 
to  Manila. 

We  had  received  our  pay  once  at  the  water 
works,  but  most  of  the  boys  had  sent  their 
money  home  and  others  had  left  their  funds 
with  the  paymaster.  Of  course  being  in  the 
city  we  had  an  excellent  chance  to  buy  dif- 
ferent things,  and  it  was  through  the  kindness 
of  our  2nd  Lieutenant  Vickers,  who  loaned  us 


104  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

some  money,  that  we  were  enabled  to  purchase 
several  small  things. 

This  officer  whom  I  have  mentioned  was 
once  upon  a  time  a  private  in  Company  A  of 
the  21st  Infantry,  and  received  his  commis- 
sion as  second  lieutenant  on  the  transport 
"  Hancock  "  while  we  were  on  our  way  to  the 
Philippines.  On  the  2nd  day  of  May  1902  he 
was  killed  in  action  with  the  Moros  at  Bayan, 
P.  I.  This  place  is  now  called  Camp  Vickers. 

At  this  time  very  few  volunteers  remained 
on  the  Island,  as  most  of  them  had  returned 
to  the  States.  They  were  replaced  by  other 
soldiers  to  fill  out  the  companies  which  had 
been  weakened  by  the  loss  of  many  men. 

After  remaining  at  Manila  a  few  .days  we 
took  the  cascoes  for  Calamba  up  the  Pasig 
River  for  the  purpose  of  joining  the  rest  of  the 
regiment.  We  travelled  about  forty  miles, 
and  on  this  journey  lost  two  of  our  men  by 
drowning,  they  having  fallen  overboard  as  the 
boat  struck  the  bridge. 

The  cascoes  were  towed  by  small  steam-boats 
and  were  very  slow,  but  the  trip  along  the  river 
was  very  picturesque.  On  arriving  at  the  town 


OFQ 

td 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  105 

of  Pasig  we  were  afforded  an  excellent  view  of 
the  Governor's  Palace,  which  was  once  oc- 
cupied by  the  Spanish  Governor.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful building,  the  roof  extending  far  over  the 
water,  and  a  handsome  yacht  could  be  seen 
under  this  extension  close  to  the  building. 

It  was  interesting  to  see  so  many  cascoes 
loaded  with  cocoanuts,  bananas,  oranges  and 
other  fruit  on  their  way  to  Manila.  Each  side 
of  the  river  was  lined  with  tall  bamboo  trees. 
We  took  notice  of  all  these  things  along  the 
route,  and  enjoyed  the  ride  very  much,  but 
riding  on  these  boats  or  cascoes  is  not  very 
comfortable.  The  boats  are  small  and  on  ac- 
count of  conveying  so  many,  most  of  us  had  to 
stand  most  of  the  way. 

We  reached  the  Bay  of  Laguna,  from  which 
the  Pasig  River  starts,  and  later  in  the  after- 
noon arrived  at  Calamba.  At  this  place  we 
started  to  disembark.  This  was  no  easy  task  as 
there  was  no  dock,  and  we  had  to  be  taken 
ashore  in  small  boats.  The  road  leading  to 
Calamba  was  flooded,  and  we  were  obliged  to 
wade  in  the  water  up  to  our  knees  until  we 
reached  the  main  part  of  the  town  where  we 


106  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

found  conditions  a  little  better.  One  of  our 
officers,  Captain  Bonesteel,  rode  in  a  boat  from 
the  shore  to  the  town. 

Our  supplies  had  all  been  taken  out  of  the 
boats,  and  then  to  our  headquarters  in  town. 
One  of  the  best  buildings  in  the  village  was 
taken  for  that  purpose.  The  largest  building 
that  could  be  found  was  converted  into  a  hos- 
pital. 

The  regiment  then  took  its  place  in  the  fir- 
ing line.  The  enemy  were  only  about  eight 
hundred  yards  away  in  the  mountains,  and 
these  insurgents  were  certainly  making  a  very 
strong  stand.  The  outpost  had  been  extended, 
and  was  being  fired  upon  nearly  every  day. 
All  we  could  do  was  to  hold  our  own,  and  the 
Filipinos  seemed  to  know  that. 

The  gun-boat  "  Laguna  de  Bay  "  helped  a 
great  deal  by  guarding  the  water  front.  The 
outposts  were  located  about  two  miles  from  the 
town  of  Calamba,  and  we  had  to  cross  a  small 
river  by  means  of  a  boat.  In  order  to  get  over, 
the  current  was  so  strong,  that  a  wire  had  to  be 
strung  across  and  the  boat  was  attached  to  this 


- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  107 

wire.    In  this  manner  we  were  enabled  to  pull 
ourselves  across  in  a  direct  course. 

Sugar  cane  was  plentiful  in  this  section  of 
the  country,  and  the  different  sugar  mills,  part 
of  which  were  partly  destroyed,  showed  that 
there  was  a  large  business  in  that  line  carried 
on  in  times  of  peace. 

This  was  in  the  month  of  October  and  the 
rainy  season  had  already  set  in  and  was  at  its 
height.  This  made  the  campaign  very  dis- 
agreeable. Mosquitoes  were  more  numerous 
at  this  time  of  the  year  than  at  any  other  time. 

This  camp  was  by  no  means  as  good  as  the 
one  which  had  been  occupied  by  us  at  the 
water  works,  and  some  of  our  boys  had  already 
been  taken  down  with  fever.  The  number  do- 
ing duty  on  the  line  was  cut  down  consider- 
ably, and  those  who  were  not  sick  had  double 
duty  to  perform. 

In  the  latter  part  of  November  I  received 
several  letters  from  home,  which  pleased  me 
a  great  deal.  Some  of  them  contained  stamps, 
as  I  had  asked  to  have  some  sent  to  me,  but 
they  were  all  stuck  together.  However,  I 
managed  to  make  use  of  them.  Stamps  were 


108  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

valuable  because  it  was  about  impossible  to 
procure  any  at  the  camp. 

Company  A  of  our  regiment  was  stationed 
three  miles  away  at  Los  Bannoes,  and  occupied 
a  deserted  church  as  their  quarters.  Near  this 
church  was  a  hot  spring.  Los  Bannoes  was  to 
our  left,  and  the  insurgents'  lines  extended  as 
far  as  this  town.  As  the  town  lay  close  to  the 
water  front  our  boys  had  the  aid  of  the  gun- 
boats, which  were  constantly  on  the  lookout. 

Before  the  insurrection  started  these  gun- 
boats were  used  for  freight  and  passenger  ser- 
vice by  the  Spaniards.  They  were  not  very 
large,  but  after  having  mounted  on  them  two 
three  2-10  inch  and  two  gatling  guns,  they 
proved  to  be  of  great  service  because  they  were 
able  to  run  close  to  the  shore  and  protect  our 
soldiers. 

On  the  3rd  of  October  the  Filipinos  made  a 
desperate  attack  on  us,  which  started  about 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  This  attack 
was  entirely  a  surprise  to  us,  and  for  the  first 
time  since  our  arrival  the  three  2-10  inch  guns 
of  Battery  F  of  the  5th  Artillery  had  to  be  put 
into  action,  and  they  certainly  did  good  work. 


\¥ 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  109 

They  were  placed  on  a  small  hill  at  the  rear 
of  us,  back  of  Company  E,  and  sent  their 
shrapnel  over  our  heads.  It  was  not  until  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  that 
the  firing  ceased.  Our  guns  had  done  deadly 
work,  and  put  the  insurgents  on  the  retreat. 
This  was  the  first  real  battle  that  I  had  taken 
part  in  since  our  arrival  on  the  Island,  and  it 
certainly  was  a  hot  one.  Many  of  our  soldiers 
were  wounded. 

We  heard  a  few  days  later  through  one  of 
the  Filipinos  that  the  insurgents  had  lost  many 
of  their  soldiers,  but  they  were  picked  up  and 
taken  back  by  their  comrades  on  the  retreat. 
However,  after  this  battle  we  did  not  advance 
any  distance,  as  we  were  the  only  regiment 
there.  The  following  day  we  heard  that  there 
had  been  a  general  attack  all  along  the  line, 
and  that  General  Pio  Del  Pelar  of  the  insur- 
gents had  been  killed.  This  was  certainly 
gratifying  news,  as  he  had  been  the  means  of 
keeping  the  American  forces  very  busy. 

The  troops  all  along  the  north  line  had  been 
kept  busy  fighting  most  of  the  time  because  the 
insurgents  at  that  part  of  the  Island  were  be- 


110  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

ing  led  by  Aguinaldo  himself.  The  Govern- 
ment was  more  desirous  of  capturing  this  man 
than  any  other  because  he  was  the  cause  of 
much  trouble.  He  later  fell  into  the  hands  of 
General  Funston. 

In  the  meantime  we  had  received  news  that 
a  transport  had  arrived  in  the  harbor  of  Ma- 
nila with  fresh  troops  who  were  to  reinforce 
the  different  regiments.  We  were  anxious  to 
know  whether  we  were  to  get  any  recruits  be- 
cause our  regiment  was  not  up  to  the  standard 
in  number.  Many  of  the  older  soldiers  had 
been  discharged,  and  others  were  sick  in  the 
general  hospital  at  Manila.  In  a  few  days 
seventy-five  recruits  were  sent  to  Calamba, 
and  reported  for  duty.  They  were  allotted  to 
the  different  companies. 

We  were  given  good  food  here  compared  to 
what  we  had  in  Cuba,  and  the  water  was  also 
much  better.  We  had  good  cooks  who  made 
very  fine  meals.  Sweet  potatoes  and  meat 
were  very  plentiful,  and  of  course  we  had 
hardtack,  coffee  and  sometimes  cake.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  there  was  no  frosting  on 
the  cake. 


Self-proclaimed  Dictator,  Emilo  Aguinaldo. 


. 
- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  HI 

On  a  very  still  night  while  I  was  on  post 
duty  I  could  easily  hear  the  Filipinos  count 
one,  two,  three,  etc.,  in  Spanish  at  their  out- 
posts. I  afterwards  learned  that  this  was  done 
to  make  sure  that  every  one  was  at  their  post, 
and  not  asleep.  At  different  times  during  the 
night  the  insurgents  would  build  fires  along 
the  line  to  attract  our  attention.  Their  forces 
were  not  at  any  point  where  these  fires  were 
built.  They  thought  that  we  would  shoot  in 
the  direction  of  the  fire,  but  we  soon  caught 
onto  their  scheme,  and  they  did  not  fool  us. 

Outpost  No.  3  extended  further  out  towards 
the  insurgents'  lines  than  any  other,  and  was 
fired  upon  more  than  any  of  the  others.  A 
sugar  mill  which  was  there  had  been  destroyed 
but  the  sandstone  chimney  remained,  and  that 
served  us  to  good  advantage.  The  chimney 
which  remained  standing  was  about  fourteen 
feet  in  height,  and  was  wide  enough  so  that  a 
soldier  could  climb  inside  and  overlook  the 
enemy's  lines  by  means  of  holes  that  we  had  cut 
in  front.  Within  four  feet  from  the  top  a 
board  was  placed  through  these  holes  across 
the  top  so  that  we  could  sit  there  and  watch. 


112  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


XI. 

DEFEAT  OF  THE  INSURGENTS. 

COLONEL  KLINE  of  our  regiment  received 
word  that  the  Filipinos  were  to  make  another 
attack  on  the  town.  We  received  orders  to 
have  our  rifles  close  at  hand  and  keep  our  shoes 
on  when  we  retired  for  the  night. 

This  report  had  been  spread  all  along  the 
line,  and  every  one  was  on  the  lookout,  but  as 
all  had  been  very  quiet  for  three  days,  not  a 
shot  having  been  fired  by  either  side,  we  sup- 
posed that  the  action  of  the  insurgents  was 
done  to  keep  us  off  our  guard.  On  the  night  of 
October  20th  at  11 :30  o'clock  we  found  the  re- 
port to  be  true.  The  enemy's  bullets  came 
whizzing  through  our  camp,  and  we  were  sent 
out  to  reinforce  the  outposts. 

It  was  a  very  dark  night,  and  we  could  see 
the  flash  of  light  coming  from  their  rifles  as 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  113 

they  fired,  which  enabled  us  to  locate  their  posi- 
tion. They  had  advanced  within  three  hun- 
dred yards  of  our  outposts  when  they  opened 
fire,  but  we  were  there  ready  for  them.  We 
kept  up  a  heavy  fire  on  them  while  we  ad- 
vanced about  a  hundred  yards  further  than  the 
outposts,  which  were  in  the  sugar  cane.  The 
firing  was  kept  up  until  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  then  the  insurgents  retired. 

The  battery  of  the  5th  Artillery  had  located 
the  enemy's  lines,  and  must  have  done  deadly 
work.  A  few  of  our  boys  were  wounded,  but 
none  were  killed.  We  certainly  used  a  number 
of  rounds  of  our  ammunition  that  night. 

Outpost  No.  3,  which  was  the  nearest  to 
the  enemy's  lines,  was  in  the  greatest  danger. 
I  should  judge  that  we  had  fired  about  two 
hundred  rounds  of  ammunition  each.  My 
shoulder  was  black  and  blue  from  the  recoil  of 
my  rifle,  and  most  of  the  boys  experienced  the 
same  trouble.  This  battle  kept  the  enemy 
quiet  for  a  few  days,  and  we  were  not  fired 
upon  as  frequently  as  before. 

During  this  interval  we  witnessed  a  few 
cock-fights  in  Calamba,  which  was  greatly  en- 


114  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

joyed.  This  is  one  of  the  chief  sports  of  the 
Filipinos.  Several  bets  were  made  on  the  re- 
sults of  these  cock-rights  by  our  soldiers  be- 
cause the  boys  had  just  received  their  pay,  and 
had  money. 

It  was  interesting  to  see  how  excited  the  boys 
would  get  over  this  sport.  These  cock-fights 
drew  large  crowds  of  the  natives  who  were  not 
in  the  service  of  the  insurgents. 

Small  stores  had  been  started  in  Calamba, 
where  candies,  bananas  and  oranges  were  sold, 
and  these  were  well  patronized  by  the  Ameri- 
can soldiers. 

Many  of  the*  soldiers  acquired  the  habit  of 
drinking  a  liquor  called  beno,  distilled  by  the 
natives.  This  resembled  corn  whisky  made  in 
this  country,  but  was  much  stronger,  and  of 
very  poor  quality.  It  proved  to  be  a  bad  thing 
for  our  boys,  as  it  was  almost  like  poison.  I 
regret  to  say  that  some  of  the  soldiers  took  too 
much  of  this  drink,  and  many  a  poor  fellow 
went  crazy  from  the  effect  of  it.  In  fact,  some 
of  them  had  to  be  discharged  from  the  service 
on  that  account.  It  seemed  such  a  pity  be- 
cause most  of  the  boys  who  went  to  the  bad 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  H5 

were  fine  soldiers  before  they  had  begun  to 
drink  this  vile  liquor. 

The  Commissary  Department  had  received 
a  large  quantity  of  tobacco,  cigarettes,  pipes, 
and  also  canned  provisions.  The  soldiers  were 
all  able  to  buy  these  goods  at  reduced  prices. 

The  houses  or  shacks  that  I  have  mentioned 
that  we  occupied  for  our  quarters,  were  made 
of  bamboo,  and  the  roof  was  covered  with  long 
grass.  The  structure  was  held  together  by 
means  of  wooden  pins.  The  floors  were  made 
of  narrow  strips  of  bamboo  laid  about  half  an 
inch  apart.  Bamboo  is  very  common  in  the 
Philippines.  The  houses  were  supported  by 
posts,  and  elevated  three  or  four  feet  from  the 
ground.  This  elevation  was  on  account  of  the 
rainy  season  when  the  ground  was  often  cov- 
ered with  water  for  some  depth. 

It  was  surprising  to  see  how  well  some  of 
these  shacks  were  made.  The  doors  arid  win- 
dows were  entirely  of  bamboo,  and  were  nearly 
all  the  same  style.  One  would  imagine  by  the 
looks  of  the  roof  on  these  shacks  that  the  rain 
would  penetrate  through,  but  much  to  the  con- 
trary, it  made  no  difference  how  hard  it  rained, 


116  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

we  were  sure  of  not  getting  wet  inside.  The 
roof  was  very  well  put  together  with  tall  Nip  a 
grass. 

After  a  time  the  Filipinos  started  firing  on 
our  outposts  again,  and  kept  it  up  for  three 
days,  and  continued  getting  closer  to  our  lines. 
Colonel  Kline  made  arrangements  to  drive 
them  back  again.  The  officer  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  battery  of  the  ,5th  Artillery  asked 
permission  of  Captain  Bonesteel  of  Company 
G  to  pick  out  seven  men  to  handle  a  gatling 
gun.  I  chanced  to  be  one  of  the  seven  picked 
out  for  that  purpose.  The  night  before  we 
were  called  by  name  and  lined  up  to  receive  in- 
structions from  the  officer  in  charge  as  to  how 
we  were  to  handle  the  gun,  because  none  of  us 
had  done  this  kind  of  duty  before  we  were 
given  our  position. 

At  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Oct.  '23rd 
we  started  with  five  companies  and  two  guns  of 
the  5th  Artillery  and  a  machine  gun.  The  lat- 
ter was  drawn  by  two  mules.  All  were  under 
the  personal  direction  of  Colonel  Kline.  It 
was  still  dark,  but  we  knew  the  surrounding 
territory  very  well.  We  crossed  a  bridge  go- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  117 

ing  off  from  the  main  road  to  where  our  out- 
posts were,  and  here  we  received  the  command 
to  form  a  skirmish  line.  We  were  then  in  the 
open  rice  fields,  and  it  was  just  beginning  to 
get  daylight. 

The  skirmish  line  extended  north  and  south, 
and  the  noise  from  the  rattling  of  the  chains 
and  the  gun-carriage  going  over  the  rice  ridges 
no  doubt  could  easily  be  heard  by  the  enemy, 
because  at  this  hour  of  the  morning  every- 
thing was  quiet,  and  the  slightest  noise  could 
be  heard  a  long  distance  away. 

As  soon  as  they  heard  us  approaching,  just 
as  we  had  anticipated,  there  was  a  sharp  blast 
from  a  bugle,  which  we  believed  to  be  their 
signal  of  our  approach.  In  a  very  short  time 
after  this  signal  the  bullets  were  again  flying 
thick  and  fast  over  our  heads,  and  some  of  them 
were  quite  effective.  One  of  the  mules  that 
had  drawn  the  gatling  gun  was  shot  through 
the  breast. 

A  quick  movement  then  took  place,  because 
we  were  compelled  to  detach  the  mule  from 
the  gun  to  make  ready  to  fire  on  the  enemy. 

The  command  was  then  given  to  fire  at  will 


118  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

for  the  bullets  were  coming  fast,  and  the  enemy 
was  advancing  towards  us.  It  was  somewhat 
exciting,  but  one  forgets  the  danger  when  in 
a  battle,  especially  after  you  have  had  some  ex- 
perience under  fire.  I  had  had  previous  expe- 
rience under  fire,  and  I  did  not  mind  this  ex- 
citement. 

The  gatling  gun  was  soon  ready  for  action. 
I  took  my  station  at  the  crank  that  operates  the 
machine,  and  we  soon  had  the  gun  in  action. 
The  three  2-10  inch  guns  of  the  5th  Artillery 
were  also  in  action,  firing  shrapnel.  A  heavy 
firing  was  also  being  kept  up  by  the  Infantry. 
All  this  was  too  much  for  the  enemy,  and  they 
were  soon  on  the  run.  We  had  advanced  a  few 
hundred  yards  with  great  difficulty  because  we 
were  compelled  to  draw  the  machine  gun  by 
hand  over  the  rice  field  ridges,  which  was  no 
easy  task.  It  was  about  all  that  two  mules 
could  do. 

As  we  advanced  and  took  the  enemy's 
trenches  we  found  many  of  their  soldiers  killed 
and  wounded.  We  also  captured  a  sugar  mill. 
We  noticed  in  the  galvanized  roof  of  this  mill 


r. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  119 

several  bullet  holes,  which  showed  that  we  had 
been  firing  high. 

Occasionally  we  could  hear  shots  in  the  dis- 
tance, fired  by  the  enemy,  but  they  were  with- 
out effect,  as  the  range  was  too  far.  On  the 
ground  we  found  many  Krag- Jorgensen  shells, 
which  they  had  made  use  of  by  means  of  wash- 
ers being  placed  around  the  head  of  the  shell. 
Others  had  been  thinned  out  so  that  they  could 
be  used  with  the  old  Springfield  rifles,  which 
were  of  a  larger  calibre  than  our  rifles.  By 
this  means  they  used  this  ammunition  with 
good  effect,  and  certainly  was  very  clever  on 
their  part.  This  demonstrated  that  they  were 
equal  to  an  emergency. 

Finally  we  ceased  firing  and  came  to  a  halt. 
We  took  a  much  needed  rest  before  returning 
to  the  camp.  In  the  distance  we  could  see  sev- 
eral camp  fires  still  burning,  which  showed  that 
our  attack  on  the  enemy  was  unexpected. 

Before  returning  to  the  camp  Colonel  Kline 
asked  to  have  some  one  go  after  the  harness 
that  was  on  the  mule  which  had  been  killed 
during  the  engagement,  and  as  I  was  near  him 
I  volunteered  to  go.  After  mounting  a  mule  I 


120  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

started  on  my  way,  which  was  a  distance  of 
about  two  miles,  and  very  difficult  travelling. 
I  was  compelled  to  go  by  the  way  of  a  narrow 
path  through  the  sugar  cane.  It  is  not  very 
pleasant  to  ride  on  a  mule  without  a  saddle, 
especially  when  one  has  never  ridden  on  a  mule 
before,  but  I  kept  on  going  very  courageously. 
Suddenly  my  mule  came  to  a  stop,  and  I  tried 
to  persuade  him  to  advance  further,  but  it  was 
no  use.  I  was  unable  to  do  so,  and  after  look- 
ing around  I  noticed  the  dead  body  of  one  of 
our  soldiers  who  had  been  shot  through  the 
mouth  just  a  few  feet  away.  Then  I  saw  two 
of  the  hospital  corps  attending  a  wounded 
soldier. 

After  considerable  difficulty  I  managed  to 
start  the  mule  again  and  continued  on  my  way 
until  I  found  the  dead  mule.  Here  I  dis- 
mounted and  attempted  to  take  the  harness  off, 
but  was  unable  to  do  so,  and  was  compelled  to 
go  back  to  where  I  had  seen  the  hospital  corps 
and  ask  them  to  help  me.  They  assisted  me 
and  I  returned  with  the  harness,  which  was  put 
onto  one  of  the  officer's  horses  and  was  used 
with  another  mule  to  draw  the  gatling  gun. 


Filipinos  Dead  in  the  Trenches. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  121 

We  arrived  at  camp  about  three  or  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  with  about  twenty  prisoners. 
A  good  dinner  was  waiting  for  us,  which  I  ate 
with  much  relish,  as  I  was  very  hungry.  This 
was  the  last  battle  I  took  part  in,  although  I 
expected  that  I  would  be  engaged  in  many 
other  attacks. 


122  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


XII. 

FUNERAL  OF  GENERAL  LAWTOX. 

THE  glad  news  came  to  us  through  the 
"  Freedom,"  a  Manila  newspaper  published  by 
Americans,  that  we  were  soon  to  be  relieved  by 
the  28th  Infantry,  but  later  on  this  report  was 
found  not  to  be  true. 

In  the  meantime  we  had  lost  two  men  from 
my  company  by  death  on  account  of  fever,  and 
many  were  sick  in  the  hospital  at  Calamba. 
Quinine  was  given  to  the  soldiers  in  liquid  form 
when  we  first  arrived  on  the  Island,  but  this 
did  not  taste  very  good  to  us.  It  was  after- 
wards given  to  us  in  pill  form. 

There  was  a  large  kettle  in  the  sugar  mill  in 
our  camp,  and  this  was  taken  outside  and  uti- 
lized for  the  purpose  of  boiling  our  drinking 
water.  At  night  we  would  fill  our  canteens 
and  hang  them  on  a  branch  in  a  tree.  We 
would  allow  the  canteen  to  remain  uncorked, 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  123 

and  by  morning  the  water  was  nice  and 
cool. 

It  was  during  an  afternoon  while  on  guard 
duty  that  I  was  taken  sick  with  the  fever.  At 
this  post  there  was  a  large  tall  tree  which  tow- 
ered in  the  air,  and  a  small  board  was  so  ar- 
ranged quite  a  ways  up  so  as  to  make  a  seat 
which  was  quite  comfortable.  Whenever  a 
soldier  was  on  duty  he  could  sit  there  and  over- 
look the  surrounding  country.  This  day  it  was 
my  turn  to  take  that  place.  The  hot  sun  was 
beating  down  on  me  and  it  was  very  unpleas- 
ant, as  there  was  absolutely  no  shade  to  cover 
the  place  where  I  was  sitting.  In  a  short  while 
I  was  taken  sick,  which  was  the  first  sickness  I 
had  experienced  since  my  arrival  on  the  Island. 
This  was  the  last  guard  duty  I  did  in  the  army. 

I  came  down  from  the  tree  and  had  to  be 
taken  on  a  stretcher  to  the  hospital  at  Calamba, 
where  I  remained  for  two  weeks,  but  I  did  not 
make  any  gain  in  health.  Finally  the  doctor 
decided  to  send  me  to  the  general  hospital  at 
Manila  with  several  others  of  my  regiment, 
who  had  also  been  taken  down  with  the  fever. 
We  were  taken  to  a  boat  which  would  carry  us 


124  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

to  Manila  by  the  way  of  Laguna  de  Bay  and 
the  Pasig  River.  We  arrived  there  at  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  were  imme- 
diately taken  to  the  general  hospital,  which  was 
already  crowded  with  sick  and  wounded  sol- 
diers. The  building  which  was  converted  into  a 
hospital  was  not  large  enough  to  accommodate 
all  of  the  sick,  and  tents  were  erected  in  lines 
to  form  wards.  Wooden  floors  were  laid  in 
these  tents,  and  everything  was  dry  and  neat. 
The  sick  were  well  taken  care  of.  The  doctors 
and  nurses  were  always  ready  to  come  to  our 
assistance,  and  were  very  kind  to  us.  In  fact, 
one  would  not  receive  any  better  care  at 
home. 

The  morgue  was  not  very  far  from  the  hos- 
pital, and  from  where  I  lay  I  could  look  out 
and  see  the  coffins  piled  alongside  the  building. 
Every  morning  from  one  to  three  dead  bodies 
were  taken  over  and  placed  in  sheet  iron  caskets 
and  then  in  coffin  boxes,  and  after  being  sealed, 
were  taken  to  a  temporary  burying-ground  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  city.  Later  on  they  were 
dug  up,  and  transported  to  the  United  States 
on  transports  for  burial. 


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— 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  125 

In  the  meantime  I  received  the  news  that  the 
21st  Infantry  had  been  ordered  away  from 
Calamba  to  Passay.  This  no  doubt  was  a  great 
relief  to  the  boys,  as  they  had  been  doing  hard 
duty  for  five  months.  The  doctors  at  Calamba 
had  already  asked  to  have  me  discharged  from 
the  army,  but  I  did  not  know  anything  about 
this  until  I  had  been  at  Manila  for  a  few  days. 
It  was  all  a  surprise  to  me. 

On  December  19th  the  sad  news  was  given 
out  of  the  death  of  Brigadier  General  Lawton, 
who  was  killed  at  San  Meado,  a  small  town 
near  the  water  works.  At  one  time  my  regi- 
ment had  been  engaged  in  a  battle  at  that 
place.  Flags  were  lowered  at  half  mast  all 
over  the  public  buildings  of  the  city.  General 
Lawton  was  very  popular  with  all  the  boys, 
and  it  was  a  great  shock  to  them.  His  popu- 
larity was  strong,  and  the  men  had  confidence 
and  respect  for  him  because  of  his  kindness  and 
the  good  judgment  and  ability  he  had  dis- 
pla}red,  both  in  the  Philippines  and  in  the 
Cuban  campaign.  He  had  been  shot  in  the  left 
lung,  and  it  proved  to  be  fatal.  His  funeral 
took  place  on  the  30th  day  of  December.  I 


126  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

witnessed  the  funeral  from  the  band- stand  on 
the  Lunetta. 

I  will  here  describe  the  funeral  as  I  saw  it 
passing  to  the  transport  "  Thomas."  First  in 
line  were  thirty  native  policemen,  who  cleared 
everything  in  front  of  them.  Then  followed  a 
company  of  armed  Infantry,  and  following 
them  came  the  20th  Infantry  band,  playing  the 
funeral  march.  The  band  was  followed  by 
Brigadier  General  Hall  in  command  of  three 
brigades  of  Infantry  regiments,  one  battalion 
of  Artillery,  and  three  troops  of  Cavalry 
mounted.  Following  this  escort  came  the  sad 
spectacle,  the  body  of  General  Lawton.  His 
beautiful  mahogany  casket  was  buried  in  flow- 
ers, and  was  placed  on  a  caisson  drawn  by  six 
horses.  Behind  him  followed  his  faithful  horse 
led  by  his  orderly.  On  the  horse  was  placed 
the  general's  saddle  and  his  boots.  Alongside 
the  dead  body  were  twelve  officers,  followed  by 
the  8th  Army  Corps  flag,  which  the  general 
had  with  him  in  every  battle  in  which  he  took 
part.  It  was  held  by  a  soldier  on  horseback 
and  showed  its  service  by  being  very  much 
soiled.  Following  what  I  have  described  came 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  127 

the  pall-bearers  in  carriages,  comprising  Rear 
Admiral  Watson,  General  Wheeler,  and  other 
officers  of  the  army  and  navy.  They  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  Marines  of  the  first-class  battle- 
ship "  Oregon  "  and  the  cruiser  "  Brooklyn." 
Many  civilians  followed  the  funeral  proces- 
sion in  carriages  and  on  foot. 

The  body  was  taken  to  a  steam  launch,  which 
carried  it  to  the  transport  "  Thomas."  This 
transport  was  to  convey  the  remains  to  the 
United  States  for  burial.  The  body  was  ac- 
companied by  Mrs.  Lawton  and  her  three  chil- 
dren. This  funeral  was  a  most  impressive 
sight. 


128  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


XIII. 

MANILA — JAPAN. 

THE  rainy  season  was  about  over  and  the 
weather  was  getting  very  pleasant  at  this  time. 
I  was  well  enough  to  be  about,  and  I  took  ad- 
vantage of  this  and  visited  all  about  the  city. 
On  the  evening  of  January  1st,  1900,  a  con- 
cert was  given  which  I  attended,  in  honor  of 
the  opening  of  the  first  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building 
in  the  Philippines.  This  was  a  vocal  and  in- 
strumental concert,  in  which  the  natives  and 
soldiers  took  part.  It  was  well  rendered  and 
enjoyed  by  all. 

A  few  days  later  the  49th  Colored  Regiment 
of  Volunteers  arrived.  They  were  lined  up  on 
the  "  Lunetta  "  and  certainly  were  a  fine  look- 
ing lot  of  soldiers.  The  officers  as  well  as  the 
men  were  colored  except  the  majors  and  col- 
onel. This  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  ever 
seen  colored  officers  in  the  army. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  129 

On  the  7th  of  January,  1900,  while  I  was 
still  convalescent,  much  to  my  surprise,  I  was 
called  to  the  doctor's  office  and  given  my  dis- 
charge. I  was  told  to  go  to  headquarters  in  the 
city,  and  there  receive  my  transportation  ex- 
penses, and  also  the  money  that  was  due  me  for 
service.  I  had  not  received  any  pay  for  a  long 
time.  On  leaving  the  office  I  returned  to  the 
hospital  in  a  very  nervous  condition.  I  could 
not  understand  why  I  had  received  my  dis- 
charge hefore  my  time  expired.  The  follow- 
ing morning  I  proceeded  to  headquarters,  and 
there  received  my  money  and  proper  trans- 
portation papers. 

The  transport  "  Hancock,"  on  which  the 
21st  had  been  taken  to  the  Philippines,  lay  at 
anchor  in  the  harbor.  I  learned  that  she  was 
soon  to  return  to  the  United  States.  I  was 
very  glad  of  this  fact  because  I  was  anxious  to 
return  home  on  the  same  boat  which  had 
brought  me  to  the  Islands.  Of  course  the 
"  Hancock  "  had  made  several  voyages  to  the 
States  since  our  arrival. 

I  was  sent  to  the  walled  city  where  all  dis- 
charged soldiers  were  waiting  for  an  opportu- 


130  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

nity  to  return  home.  Many  of  the  boys  re- 
mained in  the  Philippines  to  work,  as  wages 
were  very  good. 

A  large  building  was  used  to  accommodate 
the  discharged  soldiers,  and  we  were  well  taken 
care  of  with  plenty  of  good  food  and  excellent 
sleeping  quarters.  The  transport  was  sched- 
uled to  leave  on  the  19th  of  January,  and  this 
gave  me  an  opportunity  of  wandering  about 
the  city  and  taking  in  all  the  sights. 

A  few  days  later  I  decided  to  go  to  Passay, 
where  my  company  was  stationed,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bidding  the  boys  goodby.  I  had  not 
seen  them  since  I  left  Calamba.  They  were 
certainly  all  glad  to  see  me,  but  I  felt  very 
sorry  for  them.  Many  of  the  boys  were  tired 
of  the  service,  and  were  anxious  to  go  home. 
No  one  could  blame  them  for  this  feeling. 
Things  seemed  to  be  very  unpleasant,  and  the 
effect  of  being  in  a  strange  country  with 
strange  surroundings,  where  the  climate  con- 
dition does  more  havoc  than  the  effect  of  the 
enemy's  bullets,  is  enough  to  cause  one  to  think 
of  home. 

Every  night  the  boys  and  myself  went  to 


Group  of  G-Company  Taken  at  Calamba,  P.  I. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  131 

the  "  Lunetta "  where  band  concerts  were 
given  by  a  Filipino  band,  organized  and  led 
by  the  band  master  of  the  6th  Artillery.  The 
band-stand  was  in  the  center  of  the  park,  and 
was  lighted  by  electricity.  The  band  consisted 
of  sixty-five  members,  and  the  concerts  were 
attended  by  hundreds  of  people.  It  was  the 
intention  of  the  leader  to  take  this  native  band 
to  America  and  tour  through  the  country. 

During  the  daytime  I  strolled  through  the 
streets  of  Manila,  and  visited  all  places  of  in- 
terest. I  bought  many  small  articles  to  bring 
home  as  souvenirs.  I  went  to  one  of  the  cloth- 
ing stores  and  bought  myself  a  straw  hat,  a 
white  linen  suit,  and  a  pair  of  tan  shoes,  all 
manufactured  in  Spain.  This  whole  outfit 
cost  me  sixteen  pecos,  which  is  equal  to  about 
$8.00  in  American  money.  I  then  proceeded 
to  a  photograph  gallery  where  I  had  my  pic- 
ture taken. 

The  Bridge  of  Spain  which  crossed  the  Pasig 
River,  is  very  peculiarly  constructed  and  in- 
teresting. It  was  always  crowded  with  peo- 
ple. Street  cars,  which  were  operated  at  the 
time  by  horses,  ran  across  the  bridge.  There 


132  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

was  quite  a  grade  from  the  road  to  the  bridge, 
and  two  extra  horses  had  to  be  used  to  draw 
the  street  car  across. 

An  ice-plant  was  being  built  in  the  city, 
which  was  to  be  when  completed  the  largest  of 
its  kind  in  the  world.  It  was  located  near  the 
Pasig  River  just  across  the  bridge. 

The  Escolta  is  the  principal  street  in  Manila, 
and  there  were  always  large  crowds  on  it, 
hurrying  to  and  fro.  Many  soldiers  could  be 
seen  on  the  street  because  a  large  number  of 
them  had  come  to  stay  in  the  city  a  few  days 
before  leaving.  The  buildings  in  the  city  were 
very  low,  much  different  than  American  build- 
ings. The  upper  story  projected  over  the  side- 
walks. Manila  is  inhabited  mostly  by  Chinese 
and  Filipinos. 

I  also  visited  several  churches,  which  had 
been  erected  years  and  years  ago.  The  works 
of  art  in  some  of  them  were  exceptionally 
beautiful,  and  equal  to  many  of  our  American 
churches.  Of  course  the  designs  were  peculiar. 
Nearly  all  of  the  floors  were  made  of  mar- 
ble. 

There  were  many  new  stores  that  had  been 


- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  133 

started  by  Spanish,  English  and  Americans, 
and  a  person  could  purchase  almost  anything 
that  he  desired,  providing1  that  he  had  the 
money  to  pay  for  what  he  wanted. 

The  20th  Infantry  had  been  doing  guard 
duty  in  the  city  for  a  long  time,  as  the  city 
was  still  under  a  martial  law.  It  was  abso- 
lutely safe  for  people  to  travel  about  in  all 
parts  of  the  city. 

I  enjoyed  myself  in  Manila  immensely.  I 
will  never  forget  the  many  interesting  sights 
I  viewed. 

On  the  18th  of  the  month  the  discharged 
soldiers  who  were  to  leave  the  island  received 
notice  to  make  ready  to  depart  on  the  follow- 
ing morning.  I  packed  all  my  belongings  into 
a  box  that  I  had  purchased  in  town,  and  had 
it  taken  to  the  wharf  to  be  placed  on  the  trans- 
port. There  were  only  a  few  soldiers  who  had 
been  discharged  during  that  time,  and  we  were 
delayed  that  day  as  there  were  four  hundred 
and  eight  bodies  to  be  loaded  on  the  ship  to  be 
taken  to  the  States.  On  the  19th  of  January 
in  the  evening  we  sailed  out  of  Manila  Bay  on 
our  way  to  Japan.  This  was  a  four  days'  run, 


134  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

and  the  transport  had  to  take  on  coal  at  this 
place. 

The  trip  was  very  pleasant,  as  we  had  fine 
weather,  and  our  transport  "  hancock  "  had 
been  remodelled  since  it  had  brought  us  to  the 
Islands.  There  were  new  accommodations, 
and  the  wash-rooms  were  new,  also  the  sleeping 
quarters.  An  ice-plant  had  been  installed  on 
board,  and  ice  water  was  always  at  our  dis- 
posal. The  transport  was  not  crowded,  and  we 
found  it  very  comfortable  and  enjoyable. 

In  going  to  Japan  we  passed  through  the 
Strait  of  Formosa.  We  had  a  good  view  of 
the  Island  of  Formosa  which  is  quite  an  his- 
torical country.  At  one  time  it  belonged  to 
China,  but  during  the  China- Japan  War  it  was 
taken  by  the  latter,  and  is  still  owned  by  them. 

At  the  end  of  four  days  we  sighted  the 
southern  part  of  Japan,  and  a  few  days  later 
we  entered  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki,  which  is 
surrounded  by  mountains  sloping  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  making  the  scenery  very  pictur- 
esque. The  weather  was  very  cold.  We  had 
been  sailing  due  north  from  the  Philippines, 
which  made  a  considerable  change  in  the  tern- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  135 

perature.  It  was  much  cooler,  and  I  felt 
somewhat  uncomfortable  in  my  light  clothes. 

We  remained  here  five  days  to  take  on  coal, 
and  during  all  this  time  any  of  the  men  on 
board  who  wished  to  visit  the  city  were  given  a 
leave  of  absence.  We  were  permitted  to  be 
away  all  day,  but  had  to  return  to  the  boat 
every  night  and  report. 

The  Japs  were  on  the  job  and  came  along- 
side the  transport  with  small  boats  and  took  us 
ashore  for  a  trivial  sum.  Everything  was  so 
peculiar  for  us,  the  customs  of  the  people,  their 
way  of  living,  and  of  course  we  were  unable 
to  talk  to  them  because  they  did  not  under- 
stand our  language,  and  we  did  not  understand 
their  mother-tongue.  I  was  obliged  to  pur- 
chase heavier  clothing  on  account  of  the  differ- 
ence in  temperature  which  I  have  mentioned 
before.  Several  of  the  boys  had  already  caught 
cold. 

At  night  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki  looked  its 
best.  There  were  several  gunboats  and  line- 
boats  laying  at  anchor,  and  it  was  a  beauti- 
ful sight  to  see  all  of  the  ships  lit  up.  The 
"  Hancock  "  with  its  electric  lights  looked  like 


130  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

a  floating  palace  from  the  shore.  It  certainly 
was  a  brilliant  spectacle  to  look  upon. 

The  coaling  of  the  transport  at  Nagasaki 
was  very  unique  and  interesting.  It  usually 
takes  from  three  to  four  days  to  coal  a  ship. 
It  is  done  by  Japanese  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren. The  boats  are  loaded  with  coal  and 
towed  alongside  the  ship.  The  baskets  are 
then  rilled  with  coal,  which  are  handed  from 
one  to  another  down  the  line  until  it  is  dumped 
in  the  bunkers  of  the  ship.  The  empty  baskets 
are  returned  in  the  same  manner  by  children 
to  be  refilled.  This  forms  sort  of  a  human 
chain.  It  was  surprising  to  see  how  rapidly 
this  was  done  without  anj^  one  permitting  coal 
to  fall  from  the  baskets.  Every  one  on  board 
seemed  greatly  interested  in  this  work  and 
watched  it  for  a  long  time. 

Nagasaki  at  this  time  had  a  population  of 
about  150,000,  and  is  quite  a  business  city. 
The  business  houses  as  well  as  the  private 
dwellings  were  mostly  two-story  buildings. 
Most  of  them  were  made  of  bamboo  and  other 
Japanese  wood.  There  were  restaurants  in 
town  owned  and  managed  by  American  ex- 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  137 

soldiers  who  had  been  discharged  during  the 
early  part  of  the  Philippine  campaign.  These 
places  of  business  were  thriving  very  well  be- 
cause most  of  the  soldiers  returning  to  the 
States  stopped  at  Nagasaki  on  account  of  the 
ships  taking  on  coal.  I  visited  an  English 
school  where  English  was  taught  to  the  Japa- 
nese children. 

The  numerous  gardens  were  another  inter- 
esting feature  of  the  place.  They  were  built 
on  the  side  of  the  mountains,  being  levelled  off 
for  several  feet  in  width.  Everything  in  the 
line  of  garden  produce  was  grown  in  much 
abundance.  It  was  now  February,  and  the 
natives  were  gathering  in  their  crops  and  food 
stuffs.  Our  transport  took  aboard  a  supply,  of 
vegetables  and  garden  produce  for  our  own  use 
on  the  way  back. 

I  took  a  ride  in  a  jinrikisha  while  in  the  city. 
This  is  a  two-wheeled  cart  with  a  top,  and  is 
drawn  by  a  Japanese  by  means  of  a  pair  of 
shafts.  They  are  made  similar  to  our  two- 
wheeled  sulkeys.  This  mode  of  conveyance  is 
very  common  in  Japan. 

I  took  in  everything  of  interest,  and  en- 


138  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

joyed  my  stay  very  much.  They  were  things 
that  I  had  never  seen  before,  and  I  felt  that  I 
might  never  have  another  opportunity  of  visit- 
ing in  Japan. 

The  Japanese  were  all  very  friendly  to  us, 
and  extended  every  courtesy  in  their  power. 
I  was  surprisd  to  hear  so  many  of  the  Japs 
speaking  the  English  language.  While  I  was 
in  the  city  I  patronized  a  Japanese  barber- 
shop, and  received  a  shave  and  hair-cut. 

The  transport  was  finally  loaded,  and  on  the 
8th  day  of  February  we  again  started  on  our 
way  towards  home.  We  passed  through  the 
Inland  Sea  of  Japan,  which  is  very  pictur- 
esque, as  the  mountains  run  almost  straight  up 
from  the  water's  edge. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  139 


XIV. 

SAN  FRANCISCO — HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

OUR  return  voyage  was  altogether  as  pleas- 
ant as  could  be  expected.  On  board  we  en- 
joyed different  amusements.  We  played 
checkers,  cards,  and  other  games. 

We  had  the  misfortune  of  losing  an  officer 
and  a  sergeant  on  our  trip  homeward.  The 
bodies  were  not  buried  at  sea.  The  "  Han- 
cock "  had  been  fitted  up  with  all  the  neces- 
sary equipment  for  the  embalming  of  the 
bodies,  and  they  could  quickly  be  put  into  a 
condition  so  that  they  could  be  brought  back  to 
the  United  States  for  burial.  You  will  recall 
that  besides  these  we  had  four  hundred  and 
eight  other  dead  bodies  on  board  the  transport. 

Religious  meetings  were  held  on  deck 
nearly  every  evening  by  a  Salvation  Army 
Captain,  who  had  devoted  over  a  year's  time 
in  the  Philippines. 


140  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

The  evenings  were  very  enjoyable.  We 
would  sit  on  deck,  telling  stories  about  the  dif- 
ferent happenings  that  had  been  experienced 
while  in  the  army.  This  helped  to  pass  away 
the  time. 

On  the  26th  day  of  February  we  sighted  the 
Golden  Gate  of  California.  A  pilot  was  taken 
on  board  for  the  purpose  of  getting  us  properly 
into  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco. 

The  flags  on  the  ship  were  at  half  mast, 
showing  that  the  boat  was  bringing  back  bodies 
of  dead  soldiers  who  had  lost  their  lives  in  the 
service  of  their  country.  Many  of  them  had 
gone  to  the  Philippines  on  the  same  boat  about 
eleven  months  previous. 

The  Battery  of  Passideo  at  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor  had  noticed  our  ship,  and  fired  the 
customary  twenty-one  guns  in  honor  of  the 
dead. 

Two  of  the  Chinamen  who  had  been  em- 
ployed on  board  our  ship  were  taken  sick  dur- 
ing the  trip,  although  not  seriously.  On  ar- 
riving in  the  harbor  the  Health  Officer  of  the 
city  was  taken  on  board,  and  held  us  in  quaran- 
tine for  a  while.  It  was  circulated  around 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  141 

among  the  men  that  we  were  to  stay  on  board 
for  thirty  days,  which  was  somewhat  discourag- 
ing news,  but  after  the  doctor  had  made  a  more 
careful  examination  of  the  sick  Chinamen,  he 
decided  to  let  us  go  on  shore. 

Of  course  the  "  Hancock  "  lay  at  anchor, 
and  we  had  to  board  another  vessel  to  take  us 
to  the  dock  at  San  Francisco.  We  made  a  stop 
at  Angel  Island,  where  we  let  off  some  pris- 
oners who  had  been  taken  in  the  Philippines, 
and  were  brought  to  the  United  States.  A 
military  prison  is  located  on  this  island. 

After  a  few  minutes'  ride  we  landed  at  San 
Francisco,  where  everything  looked  so  beauti- 
ful. Spring  had  just  set  in.  I  began  to  feel 
that  I  was  once  more  in  "  God's  own  country." 

Hiram  Lawler,  who  had  also  been  in  the 
army  and  was  returning  home,  was  my  com- 
panion on  the  voyage,  and  of  course  we  made  it 
a  point  to  be  together  as  much  as  we  could  when 
we  landed.  It  was  more  pleasant  for  two  to 
be  together  than  for  one  to  roam  about  all 
alone.  We  went  to  one  of  the  hotels  of  the 
city  and  hired  a  room  because  we  expected  to 
remain  in  town  a  little  while.  To  tell  the 


142  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

honest  truth,  we  did  not  have  a  very  good  sleep 
the  first  night  because  we  were  not  accustomed 
to  sleeping  in  such  soft  beds. 

We  had  learned  before  leaving  the  Philip- 
pines that  all  honorably  discharged  soldiers 
could  procure  reduced  rates  on  the  railroads 
from  the  Red  Cross  Society,  which  had  its 
offices  in  the  "  Call  Building."  This  building 
at  the  time  was  one  of  the  skyscrapers  in  San 
Francisco,  and  was  afterwards  greatly  dam- 
aged by  the  earthquake  which  occurred  there. 

My  friend  and  I  decided  to  wear  our  uni- 
forms until  we  reached  home.  We  were  proud 
to  be  about  the  streets  in  the  uniform  of  Uncle 
Sam. 

During  the  day  while  we  were  in  the  hotel 
people  would  ask  us  all  kinds  of  questions  re- 
garding the  army  and  the  experiences  we  had 
in  the  Philippines,  and  we  were  kept  quite  busy 
answering  inquiries.  Our  stay  in  the  city  was  a 
very  pleasant  one.  The  people  seemed  to  think 
that  there  was  nothing  too  good  for  the  sol- 
diers, and  we  were  well  received  everywhere. 

After  a  short  time  the  discharged  soldiers 
started  for  their  various  homes,  some  going 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  143 

south,  others  north,  east  and  west.  It  was  not 
altogether  a  pleasant  thing  to  bid  each  other 
goodby  because  we  did  not  know  whether  we 
would  ever  meet  again. 

I  received  my  transportation  in  about  five 
days  after  we  had  landed,  and  started  for  home 
by  way  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad. 
This  was  a  different  route  than  the  one  over 
which  I  had  come  to  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
further  we  travelled  from  California,  the  colder 
it  became,  and  on  arriving  at  Topeka,  Kansas, 
we  found  that  the  railroad  was  blocked  with 
snow,  and  we  had  to  remain  there  for  nearly 
twenty- four  hours.  At  this  city  my  friend  left 
me,  as  he  had  to  take  a  different  train  to  reach 
his  home. 

On  the  balance  of  my  trip  I  met  many  peo- 
ple, and  made  many  acquaintances.  All  were 
very  kind  to  me,  many  of  them  sharing  their 
lunches  with  me,  and  again  I  was  asked  all 
kinds  of  questions  regarding  the  Philippines. 

On  arriving  at  Buffalo  I  had  to  remain  there 
six  hours  for  train  connections.  While  in  the 
city  I  was  approached  and  had  several  inter- 
views with  newspaper  reporters,  who  were 


144  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

very  anxious  to  get  stories  from  me  with  re- 
gard to  army  life.  After  I  returned  home  I 
received  newspapers  with  articles  in  them 
which  had  been  written  from  the  information 
1  gave  to  the  reporters. 

From  Buffalo  I  took  the  train  to  Schenec- 
tady,  and  then  to  Saratoga.  At  Schenectady 
I  met  an  old  friend  of  mine  from  Rouses  Point, 
and  told  him  that  I  was  going  to  give  my  folks 
a  surprise,  as  they  did  not  know  that  I  was 
about  to  return  home.  He  thought  he  would 
turn  the  tables  on  me,  and  give  me  a  surprise 
instead.  At  Plattsburgh  he  excused  himself, 
and  said  he  would  have  to  get  off  the  train  to 
see  a  party.  When  he  got  off  here  he  tele- 
graphed to  Rouses  Point,  stating  that  I  would 
be  home  that  night  by  express.  Much  to  my 
surprise  when  I  arrived  at  Rouses  Point  that 
evening  there  was  a  large  crowd  of  people  at 
the  station  to  meet  me.  However,  it  Was  some- 
what of  a  surprise  to  them  because  they  had 
placed  a  wrong  interpretation  on  the  telegram, 
and  as  I  had  not  written  home  for  a  long  time, 
they  were  all  gathered  at  the  place  where  the 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  145 

baggage  car  stopped,  thinking  they  were  going 
to  receive  a  corpse.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
expression  on  their  faces  when  I  walked  from 
the  train  to  meet  them. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  that  they 
were  all  very  glad  to  see  me.  My  parents 
were  especially  glad  to  know  that  I  had  re- 
turned home  to  remain  with  them  indefinitely. 

Of  course  I  was  also  glad  to  be  home,  but 
the  time  which  I  spent  in  the  army,  taken  as 
a  whole,  was  enjoyed  by  me  very  much.  Army 
life  is  an  experience  which  brings  much  good 
to  any  one  who  has  accepted  the  opportunity 
to  serve  his  country.  When  I  enlisted  my  am- 
bitions ran  high  for  army  life.  I  anticipated 
the  pleasures  of  travelling  to  and  visiting 
foreign  countries  while  in  the  service,  and  my 
expectations  had  all  been  fulfilled.  An  en- 
joyable trip  by  train  through  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board states  to  Florida,  several  months  in 
Cuba,  my  return  to  Plattsburgh,  the  trip  across 
the  continent  to  San  Francisco,  the  voyage 
across  the  Pacific  to  the  Philippines,  several 
months  in  the  service  in  the  Philippine  Islands, 


146  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

the  homeward  trip  by  the  way  of  Japan, 
then  to  San  Francisco,  and  then  across  the 
continent  to  Rouses  Point  were  events  in  my 
life  which  will  never  be  forgotten. 

THE  END. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  LIST  OF  BATTLES 
AND  ACTIONS. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  149 


Chronological  list  of  battles,  actions  in  which 
the  21st  Infantry  participated,  also  the  differ- 
ent companies  of  the  same  regiment  in  Cuba 
and  in  the  Philippines  from  1898  to  1902. 

Santiago,  Cuba,  from  July  1st  to  the  17th, 
1898. 

May  14th,  3899,  Mariquina  Road  at  the 
Deposotory,  E  Company,  21st  Infan- 
try P.  I. 

June  13th,  1899,  Baccor,  P.  I.,  B.  C,  D, 
F,  H,  I,  K,  L  Companies. 

June  13th,  1899,  Zapote  River,  P.  I.,  21st 
Infantry. 

July  17th,  1899,  Macitar,  P.  I.,  C  Com- 
pany. 

July  26th,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  C,  D,  E, 
H,  I,  K,  21st  Infantry. 

July  28th,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  C,  D,  E, 
H,  I  and  K  Companies. 

July  29th,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  C,  D,  E, 
II,  I  and  K  Companies. 


150  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

July  30th,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  C,  D,  E, 

H,  I  and  K  Companies. 
August  12th,  1899,  San  Mateo,  P.  I.,  E, 

G  and  L  Companies. 
September  15th,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  E 

Company. 
September  29th,  1899,  Los  Banos,  P.  I., 

A  Company. 
October  3rd,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  21st 

Infantry. 
October  20th,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  21st 

Infantry. 
October  23rd,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  B, 

D  and  I  Companies. 
November  18th,  1899,  Los  Banos,  P.  I., 

H  Company. 
December  24th,  1899,  Calamba,  P.  I.,  C 

Company. 
August  27th,  1900,  Near  San  Hicolas,  C 

Company. 
September  23rd,  1900,  Muntinlupa,  P.  I., 

A  and  C  Companies. 
December  8th,  1900,  Boot  Peninsula,  P. 

I.,  B  and  D  Companies. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  151 

December  8th,  1900,  Near  Sariaya,  P.  I., 
E  Company. 

December  30th,  1900,  Near  Sariaya,  P. 
I.,  E  Company 

January  9th,  1901,  Near  Taysan,  P.  I., 
F  and  H  Companies. 

January  15th,  1900,  Near  Conda,  P.  I., 
H  Company. 

February  9th,  1901,  Los  Banos,  P.  I.,  M 
Company. 

February  21st,  1901,  Near  Pagsanjan,  P. 
I.,  K  Company. 

March  23rd,  1901,  Tiaon,  P.  I.,  I  Com- 
pany. 

May  2nd,  1901,  Cavinti,  P.  I.,  A,  K  and 
M  Companies. 

May  5th,  1901,  Bouat,  P.  I.,  A,  K,  and 
C  Companies. 

May  8th,  1901,  Lucban,  P.  I.,  E  Com- 
pany. 

June  10th,  1901,  Jipa,  P.  I.,  B  and  D 
Companies. 

June  14th,  1901,  Santa  Cruz,  P.  I.,  L 
Company. 


152  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 

June  22nd,  1901,  Near  Unisan,  P.  I.,  H 
Company. 

July  15th,  1901,  Calapan,  P.  I.,  G  Com- 
pany. 

August  6th,  1901,  Mount  Niaga,  P.  I., 
H  and  J  Companies. 

August  20th,  1901,  Balatan  Barrio,  P.  I., 
G  Company. 

August  20th,  1901,  San  Beuita  Barri, 
P.  I.,  C  Company. 

September  20th,  1901,  Alinsinongin  Bar- 
rio, P.  I.,  D  Company. 

October  8th,  1901,  Mount  Caraya,  P.  I., 
D  Company. 

October  29,  1901,  San  Jose,  P.  I.,  F 
Company. 

November  6th,  1901,  Near  Mount  Buguil, 
F  Company. 

December  8th,  1901,  Jipa,  P.  I.,  B,  D, 
H  and  I  Companies. 

December  10th,  1901,  Candelaria,  P.  I., 
C  Company. 

December  10th,  1901,  Near  San  Pablo, 
P.  I.,  B,  D  and  I  Companies. 


SPANISH- AMERICAN  WAR  153 

December  10th,  1901,  Tabian  Barrio,  P. 

I.,  G  Company. 
December  16th,  1901.  Colod  Barrio,  P. 

I.,  G  Company. 
December   18th,   1901,   Near  Baleta,   P. 

I.,  H  Company. 
December  18th,  1901,  Mount  Maguiling, 

P.  I.,  M  Company. 
December  23rd,  1901,  Near  San  Jose,  P. 

I.,  F  Company. 

January  1st,  1902,  Loboo,  P.  I.,  G  Com- 
pany. 
January  2nd,  1902,  Near  Taysan,  P.  I., 

B,  D,  H,  I,  21st  Infantry. 
January  7th,  1902,  Near  Calamba,  P.  I., 

K  Company. 
February  5th,  1902,  Campo,  P.  I.,  E  and 

C  Companies. 
February  20th,  1902,  Near  Tananan,  P. 

I.,  A  and  K  Companies. 
February  22nd,    1902,    Tiaon,   P.   I.,   C 

Company. 
March   loth,   1902,  Jipa  Mountains,  P. 

I.,  I  Company. 


154  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 

THE  Philippine  Islands — named  after  King 
Philip  of  Spain — were  discovered  in  March, 
1521,  by  the  famous  explorer,  Magellan.  It 
was  during  a  fight  with  the  natives  of  the 
island  that  Magellan  lost  his  life.  The  islands 
were  taken  possession  of  in  1565  by  a  fleet 
from  Mexico.  In  1570  a  settlement  was  ef- 
fected at  the  mouth  of  the  Manila  River,  and 
Manila  became  the  Spanish  capital.  The  pop- 
ulation of  the  Philippines  is  between  eight 
and  ten  millions,  mostly  natives,  a  mixture  of 
Malays,  Chinamen,  Japs,  negroes  and  various 
others.  The  latent  wealth  of  the  islands  is  im- 
mense. 


156  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


UNITED. 

In  the  rice  fields  and  the  marshes, 

'Neath  the  burning  tropic  sky, 
Where  so  many  brave  have  fallen 

And  the  helpless  wounded  lie, 
There  the  darling  of  his  mother— 

Her  support  through  earthly  strife— 
Upon  the  nation's  holy  altar 

Freely  gave  his  fair  young  life. 


"  To  the  charge  "  the  bugle  sounded, 

And  the  day  was  almost  won 
When  the  dreaded  Mauser  struck  him 

And  his  race  of  life  wras  run ; 
But  a  comrade  stops  beside  him 

And  bending  o'er  him  as  he  lay, 
Rests  his  head  upon  his  bosom 

And  waits  to  hear  what  he  might  say. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  157 


"  When  you  send  the  news  to  mother 

Tell  her  I  have  tried  to  be 
Such  a  soldier  as  was  father 

In  the  days  of  63; 
Tell  her  that  I  did  not  falter." 

And  his  voice  is  sinking  low, 
"  In  that  hour  of  dreadful  carnage 

When  we  charged  upon  the  foe." 


'  Tell  her  how  my  gallant  comrades, 

From  the  North,  South,  East  and  West, 
Fought  beneath  the  same  old  banner, 

Each  as  bravely  as  the  rest; 
Tell  her  that  the  past  is  buried, 

Yankeeland  and  Dixie  True 
Are  united  now  forever 

'Neath  the  old  Red,  White  and  Blue." 


158  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


A  smile  now  gathers,  he  is  sleeping 

That  last  long  earthly  sleep. 
And  his  comrade  looking  upward 

Brushes  tear-drops  from  his  cheeks; 
The  bugle  sounds,  he  cannot  tarry, 

But  murmurs  as  he  turns  away, 
"  His  father  wore  the  Northern  Blue 

My  father  wore  the  Southern  Gray." 


"  Crack!  "  again  the  dreaded  Mauser 

Speeds  upon  its  wings  of  death, 
And  the  fair-haired  Southern  soldier 

Falls  to  earth  with  bated  breath, 
Across  the  breast  of  his  Northern  brother 

As  if  locked  in  his  embrace, 
Each  has  answered  to  the  summons, 

And  die  together,  face  to  face. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  159 


At  the  breaking  of  the  morning, 

When  the  cannon's  voice  was  still 
And  the  rifle  no  longer  echoed 

Through  the  marsh  beyond  the  hill, 
Lying  there  as  they  had  fallen 

Upon  the  marshy  blood-red  ground, 
By  a  squad  of  anxious  comrades 

These  two  noble  boys  were  found. 


In  the  same  grave  they  are  sleeping— 

Not  as  their  fathers  slept  of  old — 
But  as  comrades,  loving  brothers, 

Soldiers,  fearless,  true  and  bold; 
For  the  lives  of  these  two  heroes 

Healed  the  wound  their  fathers  made, — 
So  let  the  past  be  now  forgotten, 

In  the  sacrifice  they  gave. 


160  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE 


Thus  the  graves  around  Manila 

Mark  a  turn  in  history's  tide, 
For  the  sons  of  North  and  Southland 

Lie  there  buried  side  by  side ; 
Their  young  lives  were  freely  given — 

Not  one  tried  to  shirk  or  lag — 
That  the  world  may  know  we  are  united 

For  one  Country  and  one  Flag. 

W.  B.  EMERSON, 

Co.  C,  51st  Iowa  U.  S.  V. 


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